Batman's Little Girl
by BatTitan
Summary: I had to write this after writing my Superman's Little Girl fic. Somewhat similar plotline, but no pairings.
1. The Beginning

**The Beginning**

**I just HAD to write this, even though I've already done a Superman's Little Girl fic. Sorry. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Bruce, please," the recently-appointed Commissioner Barbara Gordon pleaded, "This girl could be killed with the testing they plan to do on her! And who knows what will happen to her parents?!"

"And why should I care?" Bruce Wayne retorted, steepling his fingers, "I don't have anything to do with her."

"She's a two-year-old!" Bruce seemed to be affected by that, but he quickly covered it up.

"Batman's not a part of my life anymore. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to help this kid without me." He stood, picking up his cane.

"Bruce-"

"I'm sorry." With that, he left the room and Barbara sighed. She and her police units had no way of even finding the girl and her parents.

* * *

Bruce slowly entered the Manor, feeling small pangs of guilt from his and Barbara's argument.

_"She's a two-year-old!" _her words echoed in his head and he sighed, glancing over to the grandfather clock in the study. Then he shook his head.

"No," he spoke quietly to himself, "It's not my problem."

_"And who knows what will happen to her parents?!"_

_I know,_ Bruce thought,_ Because it's always the same._

A gunshot. Another child who would never see their parents again.

Casting another look at the grandfather clock, Bruce made his decision and stood, making his way over to it. Heart condition be damned. Batman wasn't about to let another child suffer the way he did.

* * *

Batman landed on the rooftop of the abandoned testing facility. No doubt this was where they were holding the girl and her parents captive.

A small childish scream came from inside and he was positive he was at the right place.

"Quiet, kid," a rough voice said harshly, "We don't want anything bad to happen to Mommy and Daddy now, do we?"

"N-no," the girl sniffled.

Now inside the air vents, Batman could see into the room from a grate. The girl was cowering in the corner with a small bracelet attached to her wrist while two tall men stood over her. Across the room, the girl's parents were chained to the wall. The girl looked over to them, her wide blue eyes frightened.

"It's okay, honey," her mother spoke, giving a reassuring smile, "Everything's going to be okay." The child nodded hesitantly before turning back to the men.

"Okay," she stated, "I can do it." She lifted her hand and a cup began to float up, but then she winced and let her hand drop, causing the glass to shatter on the floor. Instantly, one of the men pushed a button on a remote, forcing the girl to cry out as the bracelet sparked with electricity. "I'm sowwy!" the child pleaded, tears streaming down her face, "I dunno how-!"

"You'd better learn or you'll never see the light of day again!" the man snarled. Batman figured that was his cue and he kicked the grate open with his good leg, jumping down into the room and landing smoothly on the floor.

"The Bat? Thought you went AWOL," the second man sneered as the little girl backed away from them, clearly seeing that this would turn into a fight.

"You wish." With that, he punched the man into the wall.

The first man kicked at him, causing him to back up a few steps. The momentary lack of balance was enough for the second man to pick up a crowbar and smash it against his head. The force was enough to send Batman to the floor, almost unconscious.

"You know, I heard that powers like the kid's are motivated by emotions," the first man commented, pulling out a gun as the girl's eyes widened.

"No, please!" He pointed it at her father, who struggled against his bonds. "NO!" Her scream was drowned out by the gunshot. "Daddy!" The tears had started again as her hands sparked with black energy.

"It's working," the second man pointed out.

"Not enough." The gun moved to her mother.

"Mommy!" the girl cried.

"It's okay, Ariel," her mother replied, even though she was trembling in fear.

"MOM!" The gunshot sounded again as her mother ceased moving, blood splattering against the stone wall. "No..." Ariel whispered, trembling in shock. "NO!" The second man was pushed back by the sudden burst of energy that came from her hands. He slammed into the wall and collapsed. The first man smirked, putting his gun away before turning, but ended up receiving the same punishment.

Batman groaned, sitting up just as Ariel jumped on top of the man, punching him in the face repeatedly. Then he saw the two bodies chained to the wall.

"Oh no." He stood, making his way over to the little girl and pulling her away from the now-unconscious man. "It's okay, calm down."

"NO!" The tears were falling down her face harder than before as she struggled against him.

"It's okay." He turned her to face him and she froze. "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." She slowly relaxed and laid her head on his shoulder.

"He huwt them..." she whispered, trembling with sobs as he stared at her, unsure of what to do. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on her back, rubbing it gently.

"It's okay." Suddenly, a sharp jolt of pain went through his chest and he winced, pushing the girl away. "Oh no, not now," he hissed under his breath.

"What wong?" The child had gotten up from her position on the floor, moving back over to him. "You huwt, too?"

"Yes," he muttered, leaning back against the stone wall.

"I make it betta?" she inquired and he almost smiled. Almost.

"I don't think so." Eventually, the pain faded and he stood, picking her up. "I'm taking you to the police." He lifted her onto his back and she clung on tightly. "Don't let go." She nodded as he activated his glider and started the rockets in his boots to lift them into the air.

"You fly?" she asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"To an extent." She frowned.

"What does 'extent' mean?" He smirked slightly.

"Never mind." He pulled her into his arms when they landed at the police station. Coincidentally, Barbara was already on the roof.

"You actually did it?" she asked in shock, taking the girl from him.

"You sound so shocked," Batman retorted, giving a smirk as she glared at him before turning to the little girl.

"What's your name?"

"A-Awiel," she mumbled, tears still silently coursing down her cheeks.

"You were right, Barbara," Batman spoke as the commissioner looked up, "Her parents were shot in front of her just as I got there."

"I looked into her file when the case came up. She doesn't have any other family. Best option now is to put her in the orphanage." Barbara then smirked. "Or maybe you could..."

"No," he stated firmly. "I already made my mistakes by taking in Nightwing and Robin."

"You do have a habit of picking up strays," she pointed out and then held up Ariel, "Don't tell me you don't melt when you see this adorable face." Ariel gave him a weak smile as he returned it with a sigh. "I didn't think so," Barbara said smugly.

"That has nothing to do with this." He took Ariel back and the little girl immediately curled up against him, yawning and falling asleep.

"She's already attached," Barbara said with a smile.

"I can't adopt her, Barbara." She frowned. "But Bruce Wayne can." She beamed.

"Really?"

"He'll be here to sign the adoption papers tomorrow morning." He turned to leave, but then turned back to her. "Don't count on seeing me again." With that, he took off towards Wayne Manor.

* * *

After changing out of the Batsuit and placing it back in its case, Bruce picked up the sleeping child, frowning at how light she was. He took her upstairs and laid her on the bed in a guest bedroom.

"Mmm..." Ariel shifted slightly before opening her eyes as he put on a smile.

"Hello, Ariel."

"Hi..." she replied confusedly. Who was he?

"My name is Bruce. Batman told me to take care of you," he explained, then cringed, "Please tell me you're potty-trained." She giggled and nodded. "Oh, thank God." She reflexively glanced at her wrist and was surprised when she didn't see the bracelet there. "I took it off in case the men who captured you still had the remote." She beamed, but then frowned as he stood up.

"Don't leave," she pleaded, reaching out and grabbing his hand, "Please." He hesitated, then nodded, laying her back down on the bed and lying down beside her. He smiled slightly as she curled up against him and fell asleep once more.

What had this girl done to him?

* * *

**XDDDDD I'm sorry, I couldn't resist using the name Ariel again. Just so you know, she has the same powers as the Ariel in my other story and will become Raven as well. Next chapter will show how they meet Ace. R&R!**


	2. Meeting Ace

**Meeting Ace**

**I absolutely LOVE Ace (come on, everyone who's seen Ace In The Hole knows he was adorable as a puppy), so I figured I'd show how Ariel helped in meeting him. Enjoy!**

* * *

"You don't have to come with me," Bruce said quietly to a nine-year-old Ariel as they sat in the car.

"I _want_ to," she insisted, resting her head on his shoulder. Seven years of experience told her that this was a bad move, but she really never listened to her experience. She knew that this was the hardest part of every year for Bruce, and it wasn't because of the cold weather. This was the first time she was going with him to the place where his parents had died (she had usually just stayed in the car before).

Bruce squeezed her shoulder slightly before turning to the driver.

"Stop here." The driver looked surprised, but stopped anyway. Bruce got out and let Ariel hop out after him. "Are you sure?" he asked softly and she nodded. He smiled slightly, placing an arm around her shoulders before leading her into Crime Alley.

Unable to stand the awkwardness, Ariel looked around and saw a large black dog rummaging through a dumpster. She went over to it as Bruce called out a warning about keeping a safe distance.

She nodded back to him before calling softly, "It's okay, boy, come on out." The dog froze before backing away from her, growling softly. "It's okay," she repeated the same words Batman had once spoken to her, "I'm not going to hurt you." The dog hesitated, then slowly came forward as she reached out her hand, scratching behind his ears. "Good boy." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cracker that she had stashed in her pocket on her way out the door. "Here you go." She fed it to the dog, who licked her hand in gratitude.

"Ariel!" Bruce called sharply and she reluctantly stood.

"I gotta go," she said sadly to the dog, who whined softly. "Sorry." She ran after Bruce, who had already started leaving.

"What is it with you and animals?" he asked in amusement as she caught up to him. She didn't get a chance to reply, though, because she suddenly felt a hard object hit her shoulder, pushing her forward into the snow.

"Ariel?" Bruce turned to find a Joker sneering at them, a club in his hand. Ariel sat up, shaking the snow from her hair and rubbing her shoulder ruefully. Suddenly, a black blur tackled the Joker, pushing him back into a wall.

"That's the dog I was playing with," Ariel realized as Bruce helped her up. The dog yelped as the Joker flung him back, slamming him against the dumpster. Ariel gasped and ran over to him as Bruce hit the Joker with his cane repeatedly. "Are you okay, boy?" she asked quietly, kneeling down and placing the dog's head in her lap. He whined and lifted his head, licking her cheek weakly. She hugged his neck gently. "Thank you so much."

Bruce approached them just then, leaving the Joker unconscious behind him.

"We can't leave him here," Ariel pleaded, giving him a sad look, "Please?"

"Ariel, I don't know-"

"I've always wanted a dog," she pointed out, sticking out her lower lip slightly and letting it tremble.

"You and your persuasive skills," he sighed, "Fine. But only because I sort of wouldn't mind having a dog." She beamed and looked down at the dog, who licked her hand once more before whining softly.

* * *

"Why don't we call him Pedro?" Ariel joked when they were back in the car and the dog growled in warning. "Okay, okay, no Pedro," she laughed and the dog calmed down. "Any suggestions?" she asked Bruce.

"Ace." She frowned thoughtfully, looking back at the dog, whose ears were flattened over his head in anticipation.

"I like it," she said finally, rubbing the dog's back as his tail wagged. "What do you think?" she asked the dog as he barked enthusiastically. "Ace it is, then." She then giggled as Ace licked her cheek.

* * *

That night, Ariel was getting ready for bed when Ace whined and pawed at the door to her room.

"Hang on," she called before opening it, "What is it, boy?" He merely wandered into the room and hopped up onto her bed. "Do you want to stay with me?" He barked and wagged his tail as she laughed, scratching behind his ears. "Okay, but if Bruce gets mad, it's your fault."

She got into bed and let Ace curl up beside her. Reaching over, she stroked his head before giving him a hug.

"I'm glad I got you, Ace." Ace merely licked the nine-year-old's cheek before nuzzling against her shoulder. She dropped a kiss on top of the dog's head before closing her eyes and falling asleep, enjoying the warmth of the furry body beside her.

**Just so you know, Ariel doesn't know about rabies and all those diseases that dogs carry, which is why she isn't afraid of Ace at all. Next chapter, they meet Terry! R&R!**


	3. Meeting Terry

**Meeting Terry**

**And here we meet Terry. Trust me, Ariel won't like him in this story (no pairings except maybe TerryDana). Enjoy!**

* * *

"Any homework?" Bruce questioned as a sixteen-year-old Ariel entered the Manor.

"Math and Spanish," she stated, dropping her backpack on the floor before giving Ace a hug as the Dane mix came to greet her.

"I thought you had four subjects a day," Bruce said confusedly.

"I do. Today was Math, Study Hall, Spanish, then Gym." She rolled her eyes. _"No me gusta la escuela."_

"I understand Spanish, you know." She grinned sheepishly.

"Oops." He smiled slightly as she picked up her backpack and went up to her room. Pulling out her Algebra 2 textbook, she began the assignment. Hearing the door close, she knew Bruce had gone for a walk, as he had been prone to doing these days.

Just as she finished the last problem, she heard the door open and frowned, looking at the clock. That was the shortest walk Bruce had ever taken. Getting up, she went downstairs to see what had compelled him to return so soon. What she saw made her run back into her room, grab his medicine bottle, and race down the stairs.

"Ariel...?" Bruce managed as she pulled him over to the couch, the boy who had helped him following.

"I'm right here, Bruce." She handed him the pills and a glass of water, which he took without hesitation. He relaxed and she let him rest against his shoulder. Then she looked up, recognizing the boy as Terry McGinnis. "McGinnis?"

"Swan?" Bruce had insisted on keeping Ariel's real last name so that she wouldn't be bothered. "What are you doing here?" McGinnis asked confusedly.

"I live here," she snapped. She had never liked him all that much. "What about you?"

"Jokerz chased me up here. We fought them off." He frowned as Ariel heard a squeaking noise. "Do you hear that?"

"Yes." She stood up slowly and leaned Bruce back against the couch carefully so as to not wake him. "It's coming from the clock." She went over to it and realized what was making the noise. "A bat."

"A bat?" McGinnis made his way over and raised an eyebrow. "What's a bat doing in your clock?"

"I've seen bats all over the place here," she admitted before pulling on the glass, "Help me get the thing open, McGinnis."

"It's Terry," McGinnis snapped, but reluctantly began pulling as well. Suddenly, the clock swung open and the two teenagers fell backward as the bat, which really hadn't been trapped, fluttered into a cave. "Ladies first," he said mockingly, pushing her forward. Ariel hesitantly looked back at Bruce before starting down the stairs into the cave.

"I thought I knew every inch of this place," she said as McGinnis followed her.

"Guess you thought wrong." She glared at him, but then froze in front of a display case. A black mask with pointy ears stared at her blankly and she took in the red bat symbol on the costume's chest. A faint memory stirred in the back of her mind.

_"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."_

"Batman," she whispered.

"Do you realize where we are?!" McGinnis hissed. "We're in the Batcave!"

"Oh, wow," Ariel muttered, backing away from the display case. "Bruce was Batman," she realized. "He lied to me."

"About...?" McGinnis inquired.

"Bruce told me that when I was two, my parents died. Batman saved me and brought me to him." Her fist clenched tightly. "When I was older, I asked him if he knew Batman. He said no."

"Huh. Wonder why he didn't tell you?" he commented, looking around the cave.

"I don't know," she admitted, pushing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes.

Suddenly, McGinnis fell to the floor and Ariel whipped around to find Bruce glaring at both of them.

"Get out!" he snapped at McGinnis, who did so quickly.

"Bruce, I-" she began.

"What gave you any right to come down here?!"

"I didn't know I wasn't supposed to," she explained, eyes wide.

"You should have! I don't want you ever coming here again!" She backed away, tears filling her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry." He softened upon seeing her crying.

"Ariel..." She ran up the stairs. "Ariel!" She ignored him and locked the door to her room, burying her face into her pillow and sobbing silently.

Ace looked up from his spot in the corner of her room and padded over, leaping onto the bed and licking her face gently. She smiled weakly and reached up, scratching behind his ears.

"Thanks, Ace. Glad to know someone still loves me." The doorknob rattled and she gulped.

"Ariel, we need to talk," Bruce's voice came through the door, calm and steady. She hesitated, then enveloped the door with her telekinesis and unlocked it. Slowly, he stepped into the room.

"Come to yell at me again?" she snapped, turning away.

"Hear me out before you jump to conclusions." She reluctantly turned over to face him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"You never asked." She glared and he smiled. "Okay, you did ask, just not in the way I expected." He then sighed. "Ariel, Batman hasn't been a part of my life for twenty years now. And I need you to understand that."

"You saved me?" He nodded. "And I repeat, _why_ didn't you tell me? I could've handled it."

"I didn't want you to be involved with this."

"And who else knows?" she asked.

"Barbara, Tim, Dick..." he listed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" she groaned and buried her face into her pillow as he smirked. "I'm living in a bloody conspiracy," she muttered, her voice muffled by the pillow and Bruce merely patted her head, chuckling softly.

"That reminds me." He picked up the vidphone on the bedside table and began dialing.

"What, another conspiracy?!" Ariel complained and he gave her a glare before turning back to the vidphone. An unfamiliar violet-haired woman came onscreen, looking rather confused.

"Bruce?"

"Hi, Rachel. I know a meta-human with similar powers to yours and she needs help in controlling them." Ariel waved when Rachel looked in her direction and the older woman rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, Bruce..." Rachel hesitated.

"Well, do you have anything better to do?" He smirked slightly as Ariel muffled a laugh and Rachel glared at both of them, then sighed.

"Fine. Does she have any control over them at all?" she questioned.

"I can do minor things like turn doorknobs and stuff, but that's about it," Ariel spoke, taking the phone from Bruce.

"We've got a lot of work to do, then. I'll see what I can do," Rachel promised.

"Thanks. We'll set up a time later. Bye." Bruce hung up and the vidphone turned off.

"What's a meta-human?" Ariel asked.

"Someone with powers." He watched in amusement as she attempted to jump off the bed, but ended up tripping and falling. "You okay?"

"Ow," a small reply came and he rolled his eyes before helping her up and leaving the room with her following.

* * *

**FYI, Ariel's met Dick before, but he and Bruce are still not on speaking terms. She knows Barbara and Tim because Barbara does routine check-ups on her (you know, to make sure Bruce hasn't driven her insane yet or anything) and, somewhere along the line, introduced her to Tim. Any other questions, R&R!**


	4. Nighttime Insights

**Nighttime Insights**

**And thus, Rachel (Raven, if you didn't know already) agrees to teach Ariel how to control her powers. Enjoy!**

* * *

"So who is Rachel, anyway?" Ariel asked curiously, following Bruce down the stairs.

"A friend," he replied shortly and she paused on the last step, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling.

"I don't want any more secrets." He smirked at her.

"Fine. She used to be Raven. She and Dick worked together when they were Teen Titans."

"I've heard of Raven," Ariel said, relaxing enough to hop down from the last step, "She was the half-demon, right?"

"Right. She has powers similar to yours and will teach you to control them using meditation." Ariel made a face and Bruce smiled before hiding it.

"Did you just-?" she began, smirking.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did, you just-" Ariel started to point out, now beaming.

_"No, I didn't."_

"Okay, then," she said quickly, backing up a few steps, but still grinning.

"Shouldn't you be getting to bed?" he pointed out and she nodded, starting back up the stairs before turning.

"Shouldn't you?" He merely shot a glare at her and she giggled. "Now I don't find it so hard to believe that you were Batman." He rolled his eyes at her as she smiled before pecking him on the cheek. "Love you." She wasn't disappointed when he didn't reply, but merely squeezed her shoulder gently before pushing her towards the staircase.

"Bed. Now." His glare was ruined by the small twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm going, I'm going," she laughed before returning to her room. Immediately, she was jumped on by Ace as soon as she entered the room. "Ace, you nut, get off!" The dog obeyed and licked her hand as she chuckled, scratching his ear gently. "Turns out he wasn't mad at me, after all." She got into bed, Ace jumping up beside her and rolling over to show his stomach. She laughed and began rubbing it gently as his tail wagged and he barked in pleasure.

"How is it that you can understand him?" she asked, knowing full well that Ace wouldn't answer. "I've lived with him for almost my whole life, and I still don't get his actions. I guess this whole Batman thing helps clear it up a bit, but...hey, don't fall asleep when I'm ranting!" She poked the dog awake before continuing, "But that doesn't explain why he never shows emotions."

She stroked Ace's head before sighing.

"Something happened to him, and it wasn't just that he got older." Ace whined and pushed at her hand as she smiled, rubbing his stomach again. "You're lucky you don't have to worry about any of this." She dropped a kiss on the dog's furry head before leaning back against the pillows and falling asleep.

* * *

Ace looked up at the sleeping girl beside him and frowned in a doggy way. She seemed so troubled about Bruce's behavior. He had only listened to part of her speech, since he had nearly fallen asleep halfway through and gotten poked awake by Ariel, who had seemed mildly annoyed that he'd tried to sleep while she was talking. However, he had heard enough to know that she was sincerely concerned about the old man.

Gently nudging her limp hand, he curled up beside her and whined softly in content when her arm went over him.

She was the first human to ever show kindness to him, even when he was ready to attack her, and for that, he would be eternally grateful to her. He only went along with all the training that Bruce had put him through just because she promised to be there at the end of each test.

Suddenly, the door opened and Ace tensed, ready to attack, but then relaxed when he saw that it was just Bruce. He sat up, watching as the old man sat down on the bed and reached out a hand gently, pushing a strand of hair from Ariel's forehead as she slept.

"I honestly didn't mean for you to find out this way," he whispered finally, "I would have told you sooner, but...I was afraid. I didn't want you involved in any of this." Pulling the blanket up to her shoulders, he absently tucked her in before admitting, "I love you, Ariel. And I'm such a coward that I can't tell you that to your face."

Ace growled quietly to get his attention and he turned towards the dog.

"Is she angry with me?" Ace made a negative sound and he understood. "Thanks." Ace leaned up, licking his hand and he stroked the dog's head once before standing and leaving the room.

Turning back to Ariel's sleeping form, Ace nuzzled her shoulder ever so gently before resting his head under her chin, feeling her arm instinctively wrap around him. He loved this girl, and nothing would ever keep him away from her.

* * *

Bruce leaned his cane against the wall and dropped onto his bed. He expected to feel relieved that Ariel finally knew his secret.

He hadn't expected to feel guilty, though.

Then again, the way she found out wasn't what he had expected, either. She hadn't seemed angry with him after she had come to terms with it. She had even said that she loved him right before she had gone upstairs (a rather common gesture from Ariel, but given the situation...). It was times like these when he wished he could tell her that he loved her just as much, if not more.

"Me and my stupid pride," he muttered, but, even as he said it, knew that wasn't why he never told her.

Some things from the cape-and-cowl days never fade, not even his fear of losing the ones he loved.

* * *

**Aww, poor Bruce. I really felt bad for him, actually, writing this chapter. I mean, think about it. The last two people to whom he said "I love you" died right in front of him. Naturally, he'd have some aversion to admitting the fact that he cares about someone lest he loses them, too. He thinks he's sort of jinxed in a way that if he says "I love you" to anyone, they die or leave him in some way. That sort of applies to Dick and Tim as well. Next chapter, Terry steals the Batsuit! BWAHAHAHA! R&R!**


	5. The Return Of Batman

**The Return Of Batman**

**I absolutely loved writing the last chapter, so I kind of had trouble writing this one. Enjoy!**

* * *

A buzz interrupted the silence of the manor the next evening, indicating that someone was at the gate.

"Who is it?" Ariel asked, joining Bruce at the security monitor, but then scowled upon seeing McGinnis at the gate, a disc in his hand. "Great, what does he want?"

"Don't like him?" Bruce commented with a smirk as McGinnis demanded to be let in.

"Nope." She rolled her eyes. "He's a jerk."

_"There's something on this disc! I think it may have cost my old man his life!"_ The room was suddenly all too quiet and Ariel turned to Bruce to find him staring into space thoughtfully.

"Bruce?" She hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder and he sighed before pushing the button to open the gate. "What are you-?"

"I know what I'm doing," he replied shortly.

"But-"

"Ariel. Trust me." She reluctantly nodded.

* * *

"A nerve gas?" Ariel asked, approaching the Batcomputer as Bruce analyzed the disc's contents.

"Its effects worsen over time until the victim is completely consumed by them." The blood cells in the monitor were rapidly eaten up by the black dots that, just a few seconds ago, were miniscule.

"Ew." The teenage girl wrinkled her nose upon seeing the image. Bruce smirked, then let it drop.

"Powers is using _my_ company to make nerve gas," he muttered, clenching the disc tightly in his hand as Ariel placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, Dad." She only called him "Dad" when she was serious.

He rolled his eyes at her out of habit and then shot at McGinnis, "Don't touch that." The teenage boy had just been about to touch the Batsuit.

"This thing may be old, but it's still cutting-edge," McGinnis stated, impressed.

"Flight capability, increases strength tenfold-" Ariel listed, studying the suit closely.

"_Ariel_," Bruce warned in a low voice.

"Sorry," she grinned sheepishly and he knew he couldn't stay angry with her.

"Take this to Commissioner Gordon," he instructed McGinnis, holding out the disc while the boy gave him an incredulous look.

"The cops?! They're in Powers' inner circle!" he protested.

"Do it, McGinnis," Ariel snapped, taking Bruce by surprise because of the harsh tone to her voice. "Tell her that it's a personal favor to me. She's got a soft spot for me, you know," she said quietly to Bruce, who smirked slightly, knowing it was true: Barbara was a pushover for Ariel.

Reluctantly, McGinnis took the disc back and left without a word.

* * *

"So why don't you like him, anyway?" Bruce questioned as Ariel and he made their way back upstairs.

"He ran with a rough crowd." Upon seeing his raised eyebrow, she elaborated, "He was part of a gang, not Jokerz, but some other gang a couple years back. Anyway, they were caught and he was sentenced to three months in juvie." She shrugged. "I guess I never really liked him after that."

"After?" Bruce questioned, smirking slightly as she gave up.

"Okay, we used to be friends...sort of..." She shrugged once more. "Well, we've known each other since preschool, anyway."

"...so _do_ you like anyone?" She turned to her adoptive father and gave him an odd look as he chuckled slightly at her expression.

"Why are you, of all people, asking?" she asked finally, regaining her voice.

"Just curious." He shrugged, mimicking her earlier motion. "So do you?"

"No," she said, making a face, "I choose life."

"Good answer," he commented as she laughed.

* * *

Later that night, Ariel absently looked out the window as Bruce sat on the couch, watching a news report.

_"...where CEO of Wayne-Powers Enterprises, Derek Powers, greeted-"_ He clicked it off quickly before turning to Ariel, who was still watching the night sky rather determinedly.

"Ariel?" She didn't respond and he tried again. "Ariel, are you-?"

"I'm listening," she interrupted while still not turning her head to look at him.

"Are you okay?" he finished his question.

"Fine." She didn't sound it, though, as she took a subtle glance at the clock. He noticed. He hadn't been the World's Greatest Detective for nothing.

"I know this is hard to understand and I can understand if you're angry with me." He went over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I honestly didn't want to get you involved in any of this."

"I've been _involved_ ever since I was two years old," she snapped, shrugging his hand off. He waited for a moment as she sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "But I'm not mad at _you_."

"At me?" he echoed, catching the emphasis she had placed on the last word.

"Actually, it's sort of a combination of everything, not just you," she admitted.

"I can't blame you for that." He turned her to face him and their eyes met. "Your world's been turned upside-down and no amount of apologies from me is going to change that."

"I don't want any apologies," she replied, "Just the truth. No more secrets, okay?" He hesitated, then nodded, mentally crossing his fingers. Some secrets were worth keeping.

"Okay." She gave him a small smile and then laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered and he awkwardly placed an arm around her, squeezing her shoulders gently and feeling a sharp pang of guilt that he couldn't return the words. With her knowing about Batman, he was in even more danger of losing her.

Suddenly, a loud fit of barking came from outside and they looked to see Ace tied to the gate, barking his head off. Ariel stifled a laugh at the poor dog's situation, then frowned as Bruce pulled out a Batarang.

"Why are you carrying one in your pocket?" He merely shrugged before opening the window and throwing the Batarang, efficiently cutting the rope Ace had been tied with. The dog ran towards the door and Ariel opened it as Ace raced inside, barking at the clock. Ariel and Bruce raised their eyebrows at the same time before they went down into the Batcave.

At first, Ariel couldn't see what was wrong. Then Bruce growled, "I should've known," and she turned to find the Batsuit missing. She blinked and, without realizing, started chuckling under her breath.

"What's so funny?" Bruce asked, turning to her.

"The look on your face," she told him, giggling. Indeed, his expression was one of surprise and anger, a mixture that Ariel rarely saw on the old man's face. Then she turned back to the empty display case, smirking. "McGinnis is _good_. How the heck did he get past us?" He merely glared at her before going over to the Batcomputer. "What are you doing?" she asked as he tapped a button.

"Activating the commlink I had installed in the suit's ears." He activated it and Ariel saw that McGinnis was in a warehouse with lasers flying overhead.

"McGinnis," Bruce snapped and the boy responded quickly.

_"Wayne? Where are you?"_

"There's a radio link in the cowl. I want you to give the suit back, now," the old man snarled.

_"Now's not a good time,"_ McGinnis hissed, dodging another laser and hiding behind a stack of crates.

"So how did you get past us, McGinnis?" Ariel asked in amusement.

_"It's not my fault you don't pay attention to your surroundings, Ariel,"_ he returned and she scowled.

"Oh, are we on a first-name basis now?" she shot back, then commanded, "Come back here and give the suit back."

_"No way,"_ McGinnis smirked, landing on a rafter,_ "Having too much fun."_ Ariel gave Bruce an exasperated look, but then the old man smirked.

"Fun, huh?" He flipped open a small compartment on the keyboard and pressed the button. Immediately, the screen stopped moving.

_"Hey, what did you do?"_ McGinnis's voice came, panicked. Ariel also gave Bruce a confused look.

"It's a fail-safe mechanism I installed into the suit, just in case the wrong person gets into it," he said, answering her more than McGinnis. Ariel shook her head.

"Paranoid old man," she muttered and got a light shove for that.

_"Wayne,"_ McGinnis whispered, a note of desperation entering his voice, _"They're going to kill me."_ Ariel frowned at that, glancing at Bruce, but he had turned away from the computer. Then her eyes widened in comprehension.

"You don't seriously plan to-"

"That's what he gets for stealing the suit," he cut her off. Ariel scowled, then pressed the button once more, restarting the suit. There was no way she was letting her former friend die. "What are you doing?" Bruce snapped at her.

"Taking the choice out of your hands," she responded.

He glared at her before speaking into the commlink, "You're lucky Ariel decided to take pity on you, McGinnis."

_"Take pity on me?"_ McGinnis echoed, now back in the rafters.

"Ignore him, Ter, he's cranky because you actually managed to steal the suit in the first place. Well done, by the way," Ariel chuckled, ignoring Bruce's death glare.

_"Thanks. You haven't called me 'Ter' in a long time,"_ McGinnis reminded her.

"Slipped out," she said quickly, realizing her mistake.

_"Air, I-"_ he began.

"Come back and return the suit, _McGinnis_," she interrupted him, stressing his last name.

_"Ariel, this could be my one chance at catching the man who killed my dad."_ She bit her lip in thought; as much as she could sympathize with him, she didn't want him going into any dangerous situations. He was still her friend, after all.

"There's a supply closet on the far wall," Bruce said finally, causing Ariel to give him a surprised look.

_"A supply closet?"_ McGinnis asked incredulously.

"Do it," Bruce replied sharply and McGinnis sighed, activating the glider and subtly making his way over to the closet.

"And McGinnis?" Ariel spoke with a forced casual tone to her voice.

_"Yeah?"_

"...be careful, okay?" She could sense the smile in his voice when he responded.

_"Okay, Air."_ Bruce smirked at her as she glared back.

"Not friends anymore?" he asked quietly.

"Shut up."

* * *

So it turned out that Powers' plan to ship out the nerve gas failed, thanks to Terry/Batman. The man who murdered Terry's father, Mr. Fixx, was destroyed along with the exploding ship.

Ariel couldn't believe where she and Bruce were headed the next day: Terry's apartment. She hadn't been there in years. She drove down the familiar streets, having gotten her driver's license a few months ago.

"Here it is," she stated, stopping at the building and putting the car in park before opening the door and getting out, leading the way into the building with Bruce following.

"Don't tell me this is little Ariel!" Mrs. McGinnis exclaimed when she opened the door and Ariel blushed.

"Hi, Mrs. McGinnis. Is Terry here?" The nod from the older woman confirmed it.

"He's asleep. I suppose you'll want to wake him up?" she replied teasingly as Ariel smirked.

"Of course." The teenage girl left Bruce and Mrs. McGinnis to talk while she wandered the familiar path down to Terry's room.

"Hey, Ariel!" She turned to find an eleven-year-old boy waving at her.

"Matt, hi!" She returned the grin he gave her.

"How come you're never around anymore?" he demanded and she sighed.

"Your brother and I sort of...grew apart, that's all." He frowned, but accepted the answer.

"You gonna wake him up like you did when we were all kids?" he asked eagerly and Ariel smirked with a nod. "Schway. Lemme know how it goes." He disappeared into his room and she smiled; he was still the innocent kid she remembered. She hesitantly opened the door to Terry's room and stepped in.

It took a few moments to adjust to the darkness of the room, but she could finally make out his sprawled-out form on the bed. Smiling softly, she closed the door behind her and then grinned evilly.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" she shouted, jumping on top of the bed.

"GAH! I'm up, I'm up!" She snickered as he glared at her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"

"Waking you up," she replied innocently and he scowled as she chuckled. "Oh come on, it was effective."

"I thought you hated me." She sobered at that.

"I don't."

"Yeah? Then remind me why I remember you clearly shouting that at me the day I came back from juvie," he snapped. Without realizing, they both remembered the day that tore their friendship apart.

_"Hey, Ariel!" Terry ran to catch up to the fourteen-year-old girl, but she merely glared at him before walking faster. "Air!" He caught her and turned her sharply to face him. "What's your problem?"_

_"My problem?!" she echoed indignantly. "My best friend turned traitor on me, joined a gang, got himself landed in juvenile _freaking_ hall, and is acting like everything's okay again! AND YOU ASK ME WHAT MY PROBLEM IS?!" People had started to stare and Terry noticed, pulling Ariel into an alley._

_"Look, I _said_ I was sorry. What else will it take to be your friend again?" he asked in a low and angry voice._

_"I'm sorry, too, _Terry_." She spat his name out like it was a curse. "Clean up your act and regain my trust. That's the only thing that'll get me to be your friend again. Just because your parents got divorced, you think it's the end of the world. Newsflash: it's not. The world doesn't revolve around you."_

_The slap had come out of nowhere, since neither of them had been raising their voices anymore, but Ariel soon found herself backing away from Terry, clutching her cheek in shock. He stared at his hand before lifting his eyes to lock with hers._

_"Ariel, I-" She took off down the alley. "Air, please, I'm sorry!" he called after her, trying to follow. She turned sharply and gave him a piercing glare._

_"Don't you DARE apologize to me! I HATE YOU!" He froze in his tracks, about to place a hand on her shoulder._

_"Ariel..." She merely glowered before racing away._

She remembered the look of shock on his face and the desperate whisper that came after, but couldn't speak. All she could do was gaze into her former friend's dark blue eyes.

"Do you realize how much that hurt?" Terry spoke finally.

"No, but I'm beginning to." Without warning, she laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ter." Just as suddenly, she felt his arms wrap around her.

"Me too, Air. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you."

"I know." There was a long silence as they stayed in each other's arms.

"So have I cleaned up my act?" he teased quietly at last, recalling her parting words to him.

"Yeah." Her voice broke and he tightened his grip on her in response, rubbing her back gently.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay." She smiled slightly at the sound of the soothing tone he always used when she was upset.

"I guess, on a subconscious level, you never stopped being my friend," she admitted softly.

"Same." Ariel closed her eyes for a moment, but then pulled away.

"Come on, Bruce is outside. He wants to talk to you." She tossed Terry his shirt and he scowled, slipping it over his undershirt before following her out.

"About what?" She smiled mysteriously.

"You'll see."

"Come on, Air. One little hint?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"Please?"

"NO!"

"...please?"

"Bruce, just tell him what you're planning because he's driving me insane already!" Ariel whined upon seeing the old man smirking at her from the couch.

"Too late for that, Air," Terry snickered, ignoring the glare she gave him before she sat down next to Bruce.

"I see you two have reconciled," Bruce noted.

"Just a misunderstanding," Terry said simply and returned the smile Ariel gave him.

"You didn't tell me you knew Mr. Wayne," Mrs. McGinnis said in surprise to her son.

"I, uh-" he began, stammering.

_Note to self: teach Terry to lie efficiently, _Ariel thought, biting her lip to stifle her laugh at the bewildered expression on her friend's face.

"Why, I owe him my life," Bruce cut in, using the affable 'friendly' voice that Ariel knew was completely fake. "He rescued me from a bunch of hooligans." Ariel bit back a laugh at his word choice. "I actually came to offer you a job as my personal assistant," he spoke to Terry, who raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Personal assistant?" he echoed.

"Well, other than Ariel, of course. Think of it as a go-for. Go for this, go for that. An ally, as it were." Ariel smirked once more, catching onto the slight emphasis he had placed on 'ally.' "Would you be interested?"

"Of course he would, wouldn't you, Terry?" Mrs. McGinnis asked.

"Yeah," Terry agreed.

"I accept nothing short of perfection in anything and everything," Bruce warned.

"I think I can handle it," Terry countered and Bruce observed him for a moment before nodding.

"Very good, then, Mr. McGinnis. Welcome to my world." As they shook hands, Ariel couldn't help but smile; her two lives were finally merging.

* * *

**SOOOOOOO sorry. I hate school now more than ever! Too bad my parents won't let me drop out. They say I'm getting too many good grades to drop out :P R&R!**


	6. Training Begins

**Training Begins**

**I realize that I made it sound like Ariel and Terry liked each other in the last chapter. Don't worry, there are NO pairings in this story (shocking, I know). ****Anyway, poor Ariel is finally starting to train with Raven. Let's see how she copes with the sarcasm (well, if she put up with Bruce for fourteen years, she can probably handle anything at this point). In the meantime, Terry gets his first workout. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Glad you could make it, Rachel," Bruce said, allowing the violet-haired woman to enter the training area in the manor.

"It's Raven until Ariel finishes her training," she replied with a smirk. They had met soon after the Titans had broken up and immediately took a liking to each other.

"Just so you know, McGinnis is going to be training in here as well." She nodded.

"That won't interfere with my teaching." Just then, Ariel entered the room, froze, then promptly tried to back out.

"Ariel, get back in here," Bruce ordered and she reluctantly entered once more, dropping her backpack to the floor.

"Hi, Raven," she muttered shyly.

"Hello, Ariel." Noticing the empath's puzzlement towards Ariel's behavior, Bruce decided to explain.

"She doesn't like meeting new people." He turned to the teenage girl. "You know, Terry's coming soon." She brightened up immediately.

"Really?" Bruce rolled his eyes and nodded. "Well, at least I won't be suffering alone." He gave her a glare, which she merely returned with a sweet smile.

"I suggest we get to work, Ariel," Raven stated and Ariel nodded, imitating the older woman and dropping to the floor in a cross-legged position. "What's the most your powers can do?" Bruce decided to leave the two to their practice and went to check for Terry.

"When I'm in control or out of control?" Ariel responded nervously.

"Relax, I don't bite. Though I wouldn't say the same for my husband." Raven rolled her eyes as Ariel chuckled. "Well, at least your emotions don't have to be in control. Anyway, in or out of control is fine. Just answer."

"Um...I can lift up heavy objects and destroy things with a swipe of my hand, and that's when I'm out of control," Ariel admitted.

"Destroy things?" Terry asked, entering the gym with a confused expression on his face as Bruce followed, seeming slightly amused.

"Oh right, I never told you about that, did I?" Ariel realized, "See, I have these freaky magical powers that go off at random times and the only time I can control them is when I don't want to get anyone's attention, like at school." He nodded slowly, both eyebrows raised.

"Uh...okay..."

"You'll get used to it," Raven said simply with a smirk. He gave her a sardonic look before following Bruce over to the training equipment. "That's supposed to be the new Batman?" she muttered to Ariel.

"Give him some credit. He's the one who foiled that nerve gas plot last week," the young girl shot back in a whisper.

"Let's go back to your powers, Ariel. What can you do while in control?" Raven changed the topic.

"Like I said before, minor stuff. Turning doorknobs, summoning things, lifting small objects, et cetera," she listed.

"All right. Have you ever heard of meditation?" Ariel nodded. "Define it." The empath received an incredulous look, but ignored it, choosing to gesture for Ariel to say the definition.

"Clearing your mind...focusing on your inner energy..." she said hesitantly.

"Basically." Raven floated a few inches off the ground, ignoring Ariel's look of surprise. "You can do it, too." She got an apprehensive look. "Just picture yourself doing it and you will be able to." Shakily, Ariel rose to the same level, hovering unsteadily. "We'll work on that later. Now find your center..." They both took deep breaths and slowly let it out. "Focus your energy...and..." Raven closed her eyes and recited, "_Azarath Metrion Zinthos_."

"What does that mean?" Ariel asked curiously, opening her eyes.

"'Azarath, I call on your power.' It's an ancient forgotten language from my dimension, Azarath. I only use it in spells these days."

"Aren't there other...Azarathians?" Ariel sounded the term uncertainly.

"No. My father, Trigon, destroyed the city." Ariel's eyes widened in understanding.

"I've heard of him. And the whole 'end of the world' thing." Raven raised a slender eyebrow.

"Have you?"

"Yeah. Dick and I keep in regular contact and he told me all about the Titans' missions," Ariel stated and Raven nodded.

"He's a good man. Too obsessive for his own good, but he's decent." There was an awkward silence.

"So...should we get back to meditating or watch as Bruce uses a simulation to beat Terry up?" Ariel asked, watching as said teenage boy got his butt kicked by a simulation. Bruce smirked at her from the side before shaking his head at Terry.

"I say stick to meditation." Ariel nodded and closed her eyes once more. "Picture your emotions with different colored outfits. Happy is pink." At this, a shudder went through both of them. "Oh, good, you hate pink, too. Anyway, Timid is gray, dark green is Bravery, gold is Knowledge, and so on. Can you see it?" Ariel nodded slowly. "Now go to your happy place." Ariel gave Raven a scathing look as the empath chuckled. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"You know, I could do without the jokes," the girl snapped and Raven raised an eyebrow.

"_Way_ too much time around Bruce. Okay, forget sorting your emotions for now, actually, since you don't need to control them. Let's focus on telepathy. Define it."

"Communication through the mind," Ariel stated confidently. She knew more about that branch.

"Right. There's also blocking the mind from mind-readers. For example..." Ariel suddenly felt a light push at the corner of her mind. A flash of a nearly-forgotten memory came to the front of her mind: Bruce tucking her in when she was about three years old.

"Hey, don't look at that, that's personal!" She mentally pushed against the force that had penetrated her mind, giving herself a headache while successfully getting Raven out of her head.

"Well done," Raven admitted, rubbing her forehead slightly, "Too much strength in that, though. It'll be good for when someone actually _tries_ to read your mind, but not for training. This is what a full-fledged attack would feel like." A stronger push came into Ariel's mind, breaking through her shields easily and bringing out a more painful memory: the night of her parents' deaths.

"Stop!" She put up her mental shields again, this time using more force. Raven immediately retreated, seeing that she had touched a nerve for the teenager.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know which memory to pull up and picked a random one," she apologized and Ariel shook her head.

"It's okay. I just didn't realize I even remembered that," she admitted.

"As empaths and psychics grow older, they tend to remember farther back. Their memories expand as their minds develop," Raven explained.

"Makes sense," Ariel said thoughtfully, "So eventually, I'll remember being a baby?"

"More or less," Raven said simply.

"You are sadistic!" they both heard and turned to find Terry, looking nearly dead on his feet, glaring at Bruce.

"Tell me something I don't know," the old man shot back as Ariel chuckled, getting up and going over to them.

"Don't make me put you in the corner." They both turned their anger on her and she glared right back. "And I will, too."

"Actually, I think it's best to go with Ariel on this one," Terry said finally, "She doesn't make threats. She makes promises." He winced as Ariel shoved him lightly before returning to Raven's side, sticking out her tongue at the other two as she went. Terry returned the gesture as Bruce merely sighed, shaking his head.

He and Raven exchanged exasperated looks. What had they gotten themselves into?

* * *

**I think I should actually feel more sorry for Bruce and Raven, putting up with these two miscreants XD. Next chapter will take place almost a year from the current setting. R&R!**


	7. An Old Enemy Resurfaces

**An Old Enemy Resurfaces**

**Okay, so like I said, this takes place almost a year after Terry becomes Batman. This is also where Return Of The Joker comes in (God, I love that movie). Enjoy!**

* * *

"Jokerz are breaking into another high-tech place," Ariel stated as Bruce and Terry entered the Batcave. She was already in full costume, typing away at the computer.

"Again?" Terry asked and Ariel answered with a simple nod, standing to let Bruce take her place at the computer. Ace bounded down the stairs and licked the teenage girl's hand as she chuckled, kneeling down and giving the dog a hug before standing and pulling up the hood of her cloak.

Once Rachel and Ariel had finished training about six months ago, the empath had offered to let Ariel take up the mantle of Raven. She had even given some of her old cloaks and leotards to the young girl. Until then, Ariel wasn't allowed to go patrol with Terry, since she had no identity or control of her powers.

"Suit up and head out," Bruce ordered Terry, who obeyed immediately. While the two still had their differences, Terry quickly learned to listen to the old man (both because of experience and because Ariel threatened him into doing it).

Lifting into the air, Raven followed the Batmobile out of the cave and towards the coordinates that she had already placed into the Batcomputer.

_"I don't think we've faced against this gang before," _she sent a telepathic message to Batman and Bruce simultaneously.

_"We can handle it,"_ Batman replied simply, _"Do we have any names to work with?"_

_"No,"_ she replied. Bruce answered in a similar fashion, which she found rather odd, but she wasn't about to question him.

They soon arrived at the lab, where they could clearly see five Jokerz lifting a large metal contraption with forklifts and trying to get out with it. Parking the Batmobile, Batman joined Raven in entering the building quietly.

"It would go a lot faster if I could just teleport us inside, you know," Raven pointed out and he scowled at her.

"Fine, go ahead. As long as you don't screw it up." She stuck her tongue out at him before teleporting him and herself inside, making sure to arrive out of sight from the criminals. "I can't believe it, you actually did it right," Batman muttered and stifled a yelp of pain as Raven punched him lightly in the shoulder, knowing that he had been injured there the previous night.

The Jokerz heard it, however, and whipped around to find both vigilantes smirking at them.

"It's a school night, boys and girls. I'm going to have to call your folks," Batman quipped and Raven bit back a laugh; she knew he had been looking for a situation to use that line in for ages now.

While dodging lasers, the two managed to reach the Jokerz, knocking down the one carrying the pumpkin and the one in pink. Raven couldn't help but internally shudder when she caught sight of the pink costume. Then she turned her attention on the spliced Joker as Batman went for the tall bald one.

"You wouldn't hit a girl, now, would you?" she teased and then dodged a swipe of the Joker's paw. "Okay, maybe you would." She cartwheeled backwards, making sure to hit the Joker with her foot as she did and knocking him out.

"Nice," Batman commented as she landed next to him.

"I'm trying to get in as many gymnastics as possible," she replied, smirking.

"Look out!" he warned and she whipped around, using a roundhouse kick on her assailant: the pumpkin-carrying one who had awoken sometime during her fight with the splicer. "Should I be scared of you now?" Batman teased once Raven had recovered from the attack.

She merely rolled her eyes before returning the warning, "Behind you!" He turned and was hit by a roundhouse kick from one of the twin girls that were now attacking him viciously. Raven sighed exasperatedly before using her telekinesis to pick one girl up and slam her into her twin, knocking them over.

"Call it even?" Batman suggested with a sheepish grin as Raven smirked slightly.

"Fair enough." Suddenly, they were both pushed to the ground by the splicer and the others took that time to open the door in the floor and get away with the stolen technology.

Raven kicked the splicer's stomach just as Batman did the same, causing the Joker to fall back as they both made their way to the hole, jumping down it and flying (or in Batman's case, gliding) after the Jokerz gang.

One of the twins kicked at them, but merely lost her balance and fell off the forklift. Catching her quickly with her telekinesis, Raven dropped her beside her sister before floating over to Batman and the tall bald Joker, who had the pointy-eared vigilante pinned to the forklift.

"Flagpole," Batman choked.

"What did you say?" the Joker snapped, loosening his grip on Batman's throat slightly.

"Flagpole," Batman repeated clearly and the Joker looked up just as a flagpole caught him in the stomach. Raven snickered before following the forklift as it crashed into a building and exploded. Catching Batman before he hit the building across the street, she lowered him and herself to the rooftop.

"That ain't coming out of my allowance," he said finally and they shared a laugh.

* * *

"How did it go with the Jokerz?" Bruce questioned as they arrived back at the cave.

"We broke up the robbery, but it was weird," Terry stated, pulling off the mask.

"It's the third time this week they've stolen high-level technology," Ariel continued, removing her hood, "Jokerz don't use that crap."

"Language," Bruce reprimanded and she rolled her eyes at him. "They're probably fencing it. Corporate espionage is big business nowadays," he continued.

"We may as well sit tight till we get another shot at them," Terry suggested before catching the report on the computer screen. "Hey, lookie here." Ariel smiled when she saw that it was a report on Bruce's return to Wayne Enterprises. Then she raised an eyebrow when Jordan Pryce came up.

"The day-to-day runnings of the company would be stressful even for a young man. I hope Mr. Wayne is up to the challenge," he sneered and Ariel clicked the report off, reminded too much of Derek Powers.

"He's not bitter. Much," Terry quipped, earning a smirk from her.

"Pryce was next in line for the top spot. My return torpedoed any dreams he had of succession," Bruce explained.

"So are you going to keep him?" Ariel asked curiously.

"If he'll stay on my terms. I've worked long and hard to regain control of my family's company and I won't hand it over again," he replied.

"So does this mean you won't have time for...?" Terry trailed off, letting the Batsuit in his backpack finish for him.

"Who sleeps anymore?" Bruce returned, receiving a laugh from Ariel. He smiled slightly at her before turning to Terry as the teenage boy winced. "You okay?" Ariel frowned in concern.

"You know the Jokerz are going in for splicing now?" Terry commented, indirectly explaining his injury. "Crazy hyena-boy nearly took a bite out of both of us. No way I could've explained that to Dana." Ariel rolled her eyes and then stroked Ace's head as he nudged her hand impatiently. "I think Ace is feeling neglected, Air," Terry teased and Ariel stuck out her tongue at him before kneeling down and placing her arms around Ace.

"He knows I love him." As if in response, Ace licked her cheek as she giggled.

"You're not going out now?" Bruce cut through their antics, glaring at Terry.

"The night is young and so am I!" Terry shot back, smirking.

"I actually agree, maybe you should consider getting some sleep, Ter," Ariel suggested.

"Who sleeps anymore?" Terry retorted with a grin before leaving the cave, backpack slung over his shoulder.

"He's insane," Ariel stated bluntly, receiving a nod of agreement from Bruce.

* * *

"No! No, no, no, and no again!" Ariel snapped, leaning against the door of her room. "On second thought...no!"

"Ariel, come on, it's not going to kill you to come out," Terry pleaded through the door.

"It just might!" she shot back. That night was the return of Bruce Wayne to Wayne Enterprises and Ariel was obligated to attend. The only problem was, she was convinced that she looked horrible and wouldn't come out of her room.

"You try, I give up," Terry sighed finally and Bruce stepped in.

"Ariel, come out, you look fine."

"No," she stated firmly.

"Please?"

"No!"

"I won't laugh, promise," Terry cut in and she could hear the slight smirk in his voice, so she naturally had to question his word.

"Promise?"

"Okay, maybe just a little, but it'll be with you, not at you," he admitted.

"...fine." They both moved away from the door as it opened. Terry's eyebrows raised in appreciation as he took in Ariel's appearance.

She was wearing a dark blue knee-length dress and had her hair loose, letting it cascade past her shoulders in black waves. A small light blue jacket went over the dress, completing the semi-formal look.

"You look great." She rolled her eyes, but seemed slightly mollified, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously.

"You're my friend, you're supposed to say that." Bruce merely shook his head; there was no appeasing her.

"We're going to be late." The two teenagers stopped their bickering until they reached the car. Then the argument was back on, except this time, it was a new topic.

"I still think you should join the talent show, Air," Terry commented.

"Hell no!" she snapped, then said quickly, "Don't lecture me on my language, Bruce!" Said old man smirked and closed his mouth.

"What talent show?" he questioned.

"There's one at our school in a few weeks and I've been trying to get Ariel to enter. She's actually a really good singer," Terry explained and ignored the glare he got from the girl in the backseat. "Problem is, she's got stagefright."

"Stagefright?" Bruce asked amusedly, gazing at Ariel in the rearview mirror as she scowled, crossing her arms.

"Yes. And Terry's never let it go since the last talent show we had. Fifth grade, remember?" she asked and Terry nodded with a grin.

"Good times." Upon seeing Bruce's raised eyebrow, he added, "Let's just say that she was the reject of fifth grade after that." He snickered, but then saw the glare on Ariel's face and said with a solemn expression, "Kids can be so cruel." Bruce smiled slightly.

"Then Walter Cummings brought in his snail collection and everyone turned on him," she said with a laugh. Then she raised an eyebrow when she caught Bruce watching her in amusement. "What?"

"That certainly explains your shyness," he stated and she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, supposing I _do_ join," she returned to Terry, "What am I supposed to do?"

"Sing," he replied simply.

"I suck at singing," she stated bluntly, then snapped, "Don't start with me, Bruce!" Said old man closed his mouth yet again, still smirking. "How about playing the piano? I'm good at that," she suggested.

"Are you? Last I heard, you were still playing nursery rhymes," Terry teased.

"Actually, she _has_ gotten better at that. She's moved onto Disney songs," Bruce put in.

"Besides, playing the piano's cliché. Singing's the only way to go, Air," Terry said with a rather evil grin.

"You'll never make me do it," she said firmly.

"Watch me." That was the end of the conversation as Bruce silently chuckled at the two teenagers.

"You're both insane," he said finally and both of them gave him identical smiles.

"We know!" When they reached Wayne Enterprises, Terry and Ariel still hadn't forgiven each other.

"I'm not joining," Ariel hissed as Bruce moved off towards the podium, muttering something about needing to get away before they drove him insane as well.

"Yes, you are," Terry responded.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"N-hey, Claire!" Ariel waved at a senior from school.

"Hi, Ariel!" the tall blonde girl called back, gracefully making her way over to her. "Terry," she smiled at him.

"Claire," Terry nodded politely.

"So what's the argument about this time?" Claire asked, smirking amusedly.

"Terry wants me to enter the talent show this year," Ariel admitted.

"Go for it!" Claire encouraged and Ariel shot a glare at both of them.

"I feel so betrayed." Terry shoved her lightly with a laugh.

"So how's Bruce?" Claire questioned.

"Doing fine, as you can see," Ariel stated, gesturing to where he was waiting at the edge of the stage. He gave her a small smile as she returned it.

"Hm. You know, I never really approved of you being raised by him," Claire sighed, "It seems like you're the one taking care of him instead of the other way around."

"I don't mind," Ariel shot back, "He took me in when no one else would and I'm grateful to him for that." Terry, sensing the sudden tension between the two girls, tugged on Ariel's arm and she reluctantly moved away after saying a quick goodbye to Claire.

"What was that, Air? You looked like you were ready to bite her head off," he asked once they had gotten a safe distance away.

"I just...don't like when people bring that up. I'm happy living with Bruce." She turned to gaze out at the city. "I can't imagine life without him and I don't want to." Terry smiled and placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Neither can I." She turned to face him, giving him a small smile as he returned it. "Come on. The speech is about to start." He pulled her back over to the crowd and Bruce gave them a questioning look, to which Ariel slightly shook her head, meaning that she would explain later. Just then, Ms. Carr introduced Bruce, so he couldn't respond.

"Thank you, Joyce," he said and she nodded from the side. "It's a pleasure to see you all again. In the future, I hope to-" A loud static cut him off and Ariel winced, rubbing her ear. Bruce adjusted the microphone before continuing, "-spend time getting to know each and every one of you. I-" The static reappeared, but this time, Ariel could faintly hear a manic laughter. By the widening of Bruce's eyes, she could tell that he had heard it, too.

"Move!" Terry pushed her out of the way just as the twins and the splicer from the Jokerz gang crashed the party.

"Where's your backpack?" she asked quietly.

"In the car," he replied, "Grab it and meet me outside the bathrooms."

She nodded and, receiving a nod from Bruce, made sure no one was watching before teleporting to the car. Snatching the tan backpack from the backseat of the car, she teleported back up to the roof, meeting Terry inside at the entrance to the bathrooms. Handing him the Batsuit, she grabbed her leotard and cloak before racing inside, changing quickly before meeting Batman outside.

"Your gloves are on the wrong hands," Raven noted amusedly while adjusting her sleeves and he scowled before switching the gloves.

"Thanks,_ Rae_." She cringed before they ran back outside to the roof, seeing another Joker standing onstage while smirking at Bruce. Immediately, Raven kicked the Joker back before realizing that he looked a lot like the original Joker, more so than any other Joker she had faced.

"Back off, gruesome," she snapped as Batman joined them.

"Oh, if it isn't the newbies. Ears are too long and I miss the cape, but not too shabby. Not too shabby at all," Joker noted, then turned to Raven. "And I have no idea who you are."

"Raven," she offered.

"Oh, right, from the Teen Titans. That misfit vigilante group Robin formed." She scowled before dodging the splicer as he sprang at her. However, one claw scraped her shoulder and she winced, inspecting the cut and disappointed to see that, while it wasn't deep, it still needed stitches. The cloth of the leotard had also embedded itself within the laceration. "Time to go, Dee Dee," Joker said to the twins, who giggled and then ran off after him as a large faded hovercar lifted into view.

Raven made to go after them, but then jumped backwards as an explosive went off at her feet. Another one caused part of the roof to crumble and the two people on it to fall.

"You get them," she ordered Batman, "I'll get him." He nodded and activated his glider, jumping off the edge of the building while she floated up towards the quickly retreating hovercar.

"Chucko, if you will," Joker called and the pink-clad Joker caught Raven by the cloak, shoving her back with so much force that she hit the roof once more. Sitting up and rubbing her head, she realized that her hood had fallen off and quickly pulled it back on just as Batman reappeared over the edge of the roof with the two people.

"You okay?" he asked, helping her up and also checking the cut on her shoulder.

"I'm fine. I'll get it stitched once we go home." She automatically looked over to Bruce to check if he was okay and was concerned to see him staring after the hovercar, eyes wide in surprise.

* * *

As they drove back to Wayne Manor, Ariel was seriously worried when she found that Bruce was even quieter than usual.

"So, the Joker, huh?" Terry finally said. "Looks pretty spry for a guy who's gotta be around, what, mid-eighties?" Bruce didn't respond and, by looking in the rearview mirror, Terry could see that Ariel was just as concerned as he was. "Any theories on that? Clone? Suspended animation due to floating around in a block of ice?" he suggested and smiled as Ariel chuckled in the backseat.

"...shut up and drive," Bruce spoke finally and Ariel frowned.

"I think I might enter the talent show," she changed the topic.

"Seriously, Air?" Terry asked, eyebrows raised.

"Gives me something to do, at least," she shrugged and could see Bruce's lips twitch in amusement. "And besides, I think I've gotten better at singing, so no one can make fun of me this time." She jerked her head ever so slightly in Bruce's direction and Terry caught on to her plan.

"Don't worry, you'll always have me for that," he teased and she rolled her eyes.

"That's what I was afraid of." Bruce was now giving his trademark smirk as she started humming under her breath.

"I thought you'd stopped that one, Air," Terry complained.

"Nope." She continued to hum the soft melody.

"Does it even have words?" Bruce questioned, having heard the tune many times over the years when Ariel hadn't been paying attention to what she had been doing.

"Yes, but I don't remember them that well," she replied thoughtfully, straining to remember the long-forgotten lullaby. Recalling what Rachel taught her, she mentally stretched back and finally was able to hear her mother singing the song.

"Try it out. It might be good for the show," Terry suggested, breaking her out of her reverie and she hesitated, then began the song quietly, repeating the words as her mother sang them in her memory.

_"Oh, the waves roll low_

_And the waves roll high_

_And so it goes_

_Under a bright, blue_

_Endless sky_

_Waves try to measure_

_The days that we treasure_

_Wave hello_

_And wave goodbye."_

"Yep, that's guaranteed first place," Terry stated and then smirked as Ariel stuck out her tongue at him before softening.

"I'm not looking to win." A slightly reminiscent smile played across her lips as she looked out the window of the moving car. Finally looking up and catching Bruce's eye in the mirror, she frowned at his slightly concerned expression. "What?"

"Your shoulder." She winced as a sharp jolt of pain went through her shoulder at the memory.

"Yeah, almost forgot about that. I think it needs stitches." She cringed at the word.

"I know you don't like needles, Ariel."

"Understatement. She panics if she has to get a flu shot," Terry put in, smirking as Ariel glared at him. The rest of the ride back to Wayne Manor was filled with mild bickering between the two teenagers while Bruce interjected his own comments once in a while, all thoughts of their encounter with Joker forgotten for the moment.

* * *

**Sorry for not updating. I HATE SCHOOL! And I hate having all Honors classes :P oh, and the song is from Little Mermaid 3: Ariel's Beginning (isn't that a coincidence?). It's called Athena's Song and is so pretty! I'm currently learning it on the piano. R&R!**


	8. The Argument

**The Argument**

**Well, here's the really sappy emotional part of the story. Sorry! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Barbara, I need to know who Joker is," Ariel pleaded at the commissioner's office the next day.

"What did Bruce tell you?"

"To stay out of it," the younger girl stated, recalling the harsh command he had given her when she offered to look over the case.

"Listen to him."

"Barb-" Ariel stopped the older woman as she tried to leave. "Please." The commissioner gazed down and saw the concern and worry reflected in Ariel's cobalt eyes (they had darkened over the years from the light sky blue they had been when she was two years old). "I'm only asking because I'm worried about Bruce. I hate feeling like I can't do anything to help him." Barbara softened upon seeing the clearly upset look on Ariel's face before motioning the empath to a seat.

"This could take a while, Ariel."

"I have time. Finished all my homework yesterday, so I'm free for the weekend," she said rather proudly and Barbara chuckled before beginning the story of how the Joker had affected the Bat-family.

It turned out that Tim had been captured by the Joker and brainwashed into thinking that he was Joker's son. It took three weeks for Batgirl and Batman to track them down and when they did, the damage was nearly irreversible. Eventually, after a fight that killed Harley Quinn, Joker's assistant, Tim had a gun in his hand and was told to shoot Batman. He almost did, too, but in the end, he shot Joker instead, killing him. It took a year to help Tim back to sanity.

"Oh, wow," Ariel said finally, leaning back in her seat. "Poor Tim." It certainly explained why whenever she had met the former Boy Wonder (which wasn't often), he never smiled or laughed.

"I suggest you don't bring it up with either Tim or Bruce. They both blame themselves for what happened that night," Barbara warned as the younger girl stood.

"I know, I'm not that tactless." Giving a smile, she said, "Thanks. That actually put a lot of things in perspective for me."

Barbara returned the smile. "Any time. I just hope you don't have to face this impostor." With that, Ariel left and returned to Wayne Manor by teleporting from an alley while no one was looking.

* * *

"I'm back!" she called, entering the cave. Bruce nodded a greeting as he continued to pour chemicals into separate test tubes. Once he had finished, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" he asked in mild amusement.

"Hug back or I won't let go," she threatened with a grin. Reluctantly, he turned and awkwardly returned the hug, placing one arm around her shoulders and squeezing gently.

"Why the sudden affection, Ariel?" he asked curiously, but smiling slightly all the same.

"No reason," she lied, resting her chin on his shoulder. She chose not to bring up Joker at all, even though she was dying to know if it was an impostor or the real Joker. Finally, she pulled away and asked, "Can I go see Tim?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I just haven't talked to him in a while. It's been a few months, you know," she pointed out. Hesitating for a moment, he nodded and she beamed before pecking him on the cheek and starting up the stairs.

"Barbara told you about Joker, didn't she?" She froze, torn between lying and being honest. "The truth, Ariel." And Bruce said he had no powers. He was _obviously_ a mind-reader.

"Yeah, she told me." She turned back to Bruce, suddenly realizing why she was feeling as though something should be angering her. "I thought we agreed there were no more secrets."

"Some were worth keeping," he stated.

"Worth more than my trust?" He flinched involuntarily at the sharp tone she used.

"I'm sorry."

"Forgive me if I find that hard to believe," she snapped, turning to leave.

"Ariel..."

"What?" she demanded, glaring at him and he stayed silent. "That's what I thought." She left the cave and when Bruce was sure that she was out of earshot, he finished his sentence in a low whisper.

"...I love you." There was no point in telling her anymore, though; he was sure that she wouldn't return the sentiment.

* * *

"Hey, Tim," Ariel said, materializing on the top of the satellite dish he was working on. He nodded in greeting and finished his work before looking up. He was used to her popping in on his work unexpectedly.

"Hi, Ariel. It's been a while." Frowning at the bitter look on her face, he guessed her problem. "Fight with Bruce?"

"How'd you guess?" she asked curiously as he stepped off the floating platform, sitting down beside her.

"Same look on Dick's face every time they get into an argument." A similar look appeared on his face.

"I guess we're all angry with him now," Ariel sighed.

"Why don't we just hunt him down and make him apologize?" Tim suggested and she laughed.

"Tempting as that sounds, I don't think he'll apologize any time soon. You know how he always thinks he's right." Tim nodded in understanding, then reached out, ruffling the young girl's hair.

"He'll apologize to _you_." Ariel raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Ariel, you know he loves you."

"No, he doesn't," she replied angrily.

"I know it's hard to believe, but he loved you the minute he met you." She looked up and their eyes met.

Now she knew why she liked Tim better than Dick and Barbara. He was the only one who understood and accepted how much she loved Bruce. Dick only questioned why she would love the "sadistic old bat," as he put it, and Barbara merely accepted it, but never understood _why_.

She knew that Bruce loved her (she had heard it confirmed so many times by Barbara), but this was the first time she actually believed it.

"He loves me? Really?" she asked quietly.

"Really," Tim replied sincerely, "More than he's ever loved anyone in his entire life. He'd die for you in a heartbeat."

"Hope that's not necessary," Ariel chuckled as Tim merely gave a brief smile.

"So what did you fight about, anyway?" She shrugged.

"Not important." She remembered Barbara's warning about talking about Joker around Tim.

"Let me guess. Joker?" The expression of indifference was back on his face, but, looking up, Ariel could see the old nightmare relive itself in his mind.

"Yep."

"Barb told you the gory details?"

"I was going to say 'story of what happened,' but basically, yeah." Staring down at her feet, she admitted, "After I found out about this whole Batman thing, I was hoping that there wouldn't be any more secrets. I can't believe I was so stupid as to actually believe that."

"With Bruce, there's always some secret or the other," Tim stated.

"I thought he trusted me."

"It wasn't that, Ariel." She gave him a confused look and he sighed. "Look, maybe Bruce should be the one to tell you this, not me." She reluctantly nodded and laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around the older man. It had been so long since she had seen him.

"Love you, Tim." The former Boy Wonder couldn't help but feel his heart melt when he gazed down at the teenage girl. She had no idea how much light she had brought into the Bat-family.

"I love you, too, Ariel." Returning the hug, he rested his chin on top of her head. "Try to visit more often, okay?" She chuckled softly.

"Sorry about that. Things have been a bit hectic this year with patrol and school and everything. I'll definitely try to come around more often, promise." With that, she teleported back to Wayne Manor.

* * *

"Terry?" she asked in surprise as he stormed out of the manor when she teleported right outside. "What happened?"

"He fired me!" Her eyes widened.

"He what?!"

"He made me give the suit back!"

"Terry, I-"

"Don't," Terry interrupted angrily before getting on his bike and driving away. Clenching her fist, Ariel went into the manor.

"What gave you the right to fire him?!" she called.

"He didn't know what he was getting himself into and neither do you," Bruce said quietly, coming out of the study.

"I don't care if I have to give up being Raven, but if you've taken my only friend away from me, I'll never forgive you!" She ran up the stairs, ignoring his downcast expression. Slamming the door to her room loudly enough so that the old man could hear it, she collapsed onto her bed and let the angry tears fall onto her pillow, where they gleamed for a moment before sinking into the fabric of the pillow cover.

"Ace?" she called quietly and the dog padded over from his corner of the room, leaping onto the bed and allowing her to bury her face into his fur while hugging him tightly. "I wish this had never happened," she told the dog as he cocked his head. "I wish Joker had never come back, I wish Terry and I were still best friends..." Tears fell from her eyes once more as she swallowed the knot in her throat.

"I wish I'd never gotten my powers. I wish my parents were still alive. And...I wish I'd never met Bruce." She had no idea that the old man had heard her through the door as he was passing her room.

* * *

**Aww...poor Bruce...oh, by the way, Terry isn't really angry with Ariel, he's just angry with Bruce and decided to take it out on Ariel for some unknown reason. He'll apologize to her next chapter after...well...you'll see what happens. R&R!**


	9. Nighttime Realizations

**Nighttime Realizations**

**Yeah, I know there's a Nighttime Insights chapter, but this one has insights too. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ariel spent the next half an hour lying in her bed and hugging Ace tightly while the dog merely nuzzled her gently and licked her cheek occasionally.

"Ace..." she spoke finally, her voice breaking and he looked up. "Thanks. For everything." She rubbed his head gently while he whined quietly and rested his head under her chin as she smiled weakly.

Suddenly, Ace sat up, looking at the door and growling softly with a tone she rarely heard...concern.

"What is it?" She also sat up, then realized what had happened. "Bruce?" Ace made an affirming noise. "He heard me?!" Another 'yes.' "Oh no." She buried her face in her hands. She had basically said that she hated him. If he had heard that...

Ace leapt off the bed and went to his corner.

"Ace?" She went near him, but he growled disapprovingly. "Not you, too!" Turning to the door, she opened it and went across the hall to Bruce's room, raising a hand to knock on the door before pausing, a thought occurring to her.

_Maybe he deserved it._

Lowering her hand slowly, she sighed, making her way back to her room.

"Ace, don't touch that!" She snatched a paper out of reach when Ace tried to rip it up. "I know you're mad at me, too, but don't you dare rip up my music!" It was a song that she had been writing for the talent show, which had her mother's lullaby weaved into it.

Placing her music on a shelf that was out of reach, she dropped onto the bed, falling asleep as Ace made no move to join her.

That night, the nightmares returned.

* * *

For as long as Ariel could remember, she had had nightmares of the night her parents died and the day she had been kidnapped. If she strained her memory, she could actually feel the jolt of electricity that the bracelet had caused.

Needless to say, she rarely ever strained her memory that far.

As a child, she usually went to Bruce, but stopped by the time she turned five. She put up with the bad dreams, even though all her instincts told her to go back to her guardian.

To this day, he never found out about the nightmares. He just assumed she wanted to stay near him.

The first time Ace slept on her bed was the first time in years that the nightmares didn't come. She welcomed the dreamless sleep, having not slept decently since she had stopped going to Bruce for the nightmares nearly four years previously.

For the next seven years, she never had a nightmare as long as Ace was with her. Over time, she forgot the details of the nightmare.

Maybe that was why she was even more scared than ever now as she relived that night just as vividly as she had when she was two.

* * *

Ace looked up from his corner. As angry as he was with Ariel for acting so insensitive towards Bruce, he could tell that she didn't mean to.

Still, he wanted her to realize just what she had done.

The old man loved her, Ace could see that much. Even though he never showed it, he cared for her more than life itself.

Ace was startled out of his thoughts by a muffled cry. Hesitantly, he padded over to Ariel's side. Even if he was angry with her, she was still his friend.

He was surprised to see silent tears falling from her closed eyes as she restlessly tossed and turned in her sleep. He finally comprehended that she was having a bad dream.

Ariel had never had a bad dream for as long as Ace could remember. Even if she had, this would probably be her worst. He had never seen her so upset, awake or asleep.

Unsure of what to do, he did what he was trained to do. Turning the doorknob with his paw, he went across the hall and scratched at the door quietly. Bruce opened the door and gave the dog a puzzled look.

"What is it, Ace?" Ace led him back to Ariel's room, where Bruce's eyes widened in comprehension when he saw the teenage girl's state. "She's having a nightmare." Ace bobbed his head up and down, hoping that was the way to communicate a 'yes.' "Good boy. Thanks for letting me know."

Ace allowed him to stroke his head before going back to Ariel's side and jumping up beside her. Settling down next to her, he watched as the old man sat down on the other side of the bed, stroking the girl's hair gently.

* * *

Bruce had never seen Ariel have a nightmare before and he now knew why. Even asleep, she tried to keep herself quiet by burying her face into the pillow.

A weak cry came from her and he reached out, pulling her into his arms as she trembled slightly at the contact.

"No..." she finally spoke, her voice breaking. "Please, no..."

"Calm down. It's going to be okay." He couldn't stay angry with her, especially when she was this vulnerable. He raised a hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face and she flinched. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She visibly relaxed at those words, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Dad..." she whispered, unconsciously letting her hand close around his. Smiling slightly, he placed her back on the bed and leaned forward, uncharacteristically brushing his lips against her forehead. Then he turned to Ace, who looked up at him curiously.

"Keep an eye on her." Ace whined softly, curling up against Ariel's back as she turned over in her sleep, an arm going over the dog. With someone beside her, she immediately calmed and Bruce stood, leaving the room. He would ask her about the nightmare tomorrow, if she was willing to speak to him.

* * *

**And next, we have the climax! R&R!**


	10. The Attack

**The Attack**

**And thus, we reach the climax. Enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning, Ariel awoke to find Ace sitting by her side, gazing at her with his large brown eyes.

"Are you still mad at me?" she whispered, her voice still constricted from the previous night's dream. Ace merely licked her cheek before nuzzling her shoulder. Smiling in relief, she placed an arm around the dog's neck, hugging him tightly. "Thanks, Ace."

She faintly recalled Ace returning to her side sometime in the night, but couldn't remember much else, as she had been half-asleep at the time.

"Okay, get off," she ordered the dog, sitting up as he jumped off the bed. Grabbing a brush from her desk, she went into her bathroom and began brushing her hair.

Unfortunately, her tossing and turning the previous night had caused her hair to tangle rather badly, so she struggled with it for a good fifteen minutes before giving up, brushing her teeth and returning to the bedroom. Ace tugged at her sleeve slightly and she shook her head.

"I'm not coming out, boy. You go ahead." She opened the door and Ace reluctantly left after giving her a sad look. Sighing, she pulled out her portable keyboard and began working on the music for her song while keeping the sheet of lyrics in front of her.

* * *

Bruce approached her room twice that day, trying to get her to come downstairs and eat something, to which she didn't respond and merely stayed silent until she heard him leave. She had no wish to face him, especially after what she had said.

Finally, her growling stomach and desire to practice her music on the grand piano downstairs took over and she went downstairs, noting the time: seven in the evening.

Grabbing an apple from the kitchen and rinsing it, she peeled the apple, remembering that she hated the skin. Unfortunately, she cut her finger on the peeler.

"Slaggit," she swore, examining the small cut and grateful that Bruce didn't hear her. Deciding that the injury wasn't anything to worry about, she merely put a Band-Aid on it before returning to her apple.

Ariel bit into the fruit and then gave Ace a greeting smile as the dog came into the kitchen.

"He's not here, is he?" she asked softly after swallowing and Ace made a negative sound, glancing over at the grandfather clock in the study. "Oh. He's working?" Ace bobbed his head up and down. Finishing her apple, she tossed the core into the garbage bin and made her way into the study. Uncovering the old piano, she sat down at it as Ace went downstairs into the cave, probably to keep Bruce company.

Running a hand over the ivory keys, she pressed a few notes tentatively. It had been so long since she had played the piano. She ran a finger up the length of the keys before humming her mother's lullaby.

_"Under the bright...blue...endless sky..."_ she sang softly as she played, ignoring the accidental notes that appeared every time her fingers slipped.

_"Wait_

_I remember that_

_How I know that song_

_I remember_

_Sitting in the moonlight and that feeling_

_What's that feeling_

_I remember..."_ she began to sing the melody she had written for the talent show.

_"Yes_

_How I know that song_

_Though it's been so long_

_I remember_

_Happiness without a floor or ceiling_

_What's that feeling_

_I remember..."_ she trailed off, then picked up again.

"_Oh, I remember her_

_And how we were_

_I remember_

_Watching what the evening would be bringing_

_I remember singing_

_Under the bright blue endless sky_

_Waves try to measure_

_Days that we treasure_

_And I, I remember_

_I remember music_

_And I'm never going back_

_To the silent law they wrote_

_I will sing in every tempo_

_Every last chromatic note_

_Now I, I remember her_

_I remember music_

_And I remember_

_Love..."_ she finished, letting the last note on the piano linger before letting go of both the note and the pedal she had been pressing with her foot.

Suddenly, she heard a pair of hands clapping and whipped around to find Joker smirking at her.

"How the hell did you get in here?!" she snapped.

"The door was open," he quipped.

"Get out," she snarled.

"Aww, and this is the greeting I get after coming all this way to see an old friend," he mock-sighed, then dodged a punch. "Sloppy, Ariel, very sloppy. Brucie hasn't been teaching you well."

"Don't call him that!" She kicked out, but missed and the Joker twisted her arm back as she screamed. He threw her back and her head hit the opposite wall.

The world went dark.

* * *

"Ariel! Oh no, Ariel, wake up!" she heard as a hand shook her shoulder desperately.

"Terry," she moaned weakly, forcing her eyes open as he sighed in relief.

"Where's Wayne?" he asked, suddenly worried once more.

"I don't know, in the cave would be my...guess..." she broke off, eyes wide. "Joker. He was here. Oh God, he went after Bruce!" She struggled to control her sudden hyperventilation and Terry gave her a brief hug before racing down the stairs of the cave.

Shakily standing, she went across the room and knelt down beside Ace, who was lying on the floor among the broken glass and strewn articles around the study.

"Ace..." She rubbed his head gently as he whimpered softly. "He really did a number on you, didn't he, boy?" Carefully, she dropped a kiss on the dog's head before hearing a faint manic laughter in the cave. "Bruce," she whispered. Forgetting the fact that her knees were about to give out and her head was pounding already, she ran into the cave, leaping down the stairs.

Ignoring the reflexive dropping of her stomach, she skipped the last few steps, racing over to Bruce's side as Terry grabbed a chemical-filled vial and an injection gun.

"Ariel, you should have stayed upstairs," Terry reprimanded, returning as she dropped onto her knees beside him.

"Not a chance," she shot back before turning to Bruce, tears filling her eyes. "It's okay, Bruce." She took his hand and he squeezed it weakly, giving her a faint smile. "I love you."

"...Ariel..." he managed, but then Terry gave him the injection and he gave in to unconsciousness.

"Oh God," she whispered, burying her face into Terry's shoulder as he dropped the injection gun, hugging his friend back.

"It's okay, Air. It'll be okay." Not knowing what else to do, Ariel merely allowed him to comfort her. She had never been so scared in her life.

* * *

With a cloth, Ariel wiped the sweat from Bruce's forehead as he slept.

"The anti-toxin's done all it can," Barbara said from behind her, "Now it's up to him."

"That won't be a problem," Terry commented, smirking slightly, "He's too stubborn to die." His attempt at humor earned a small laugh from the teenage girl before she turned back to Bruce, smiling as the old man's hand closed around hers unconsciously.

"Thanks for coming, Barb," she spoke finally, her voice quiet, "We didn't know who else to call."

"Who else is there?" the commissioner returned with a smile.

"That reminds me, I'd better check on our other patient," Terry stated, leaving the room to check on Ace. Barbara made to follow, but then stopped upon seeing Ariel's upset look.

"You okay?" The younger girl looked up before sighing.

"I guess I'm finally realizing how close I am to losing him." A tear escaped from her eye.

"Air, he'll be okay." She allowed Barbara to hug her gently. "It's okay." There was a long silence between the two. "Maybe you should get some sleep," Barbara suggested finally.

"I'm not tired," Ariel replied stubbornly, "I want to stay with him."

"Just promise you'll get some rest soon, though, okay?" After receiving a nod from the girl, Barbara left.

Ariel turned back to Bruce, squeezing his hand gently and feeling him return the gesture.

"I love you," she whispered.

"...Ariel...?" he asked weakly, eyes opening slightly.

"Shh, go back to sleep," she murmured softly, stroking his hair.

"...don't leave..."

"I won't. I'll be right here, I promise." He relaxed at that, closing his eyes once more as his breathing evened out.

* * *

It was nearly dusk when Bruce awoke once more and Ariel looked up from her spot at the window.

"Hi." He sat up, leaning against the pillows.

"Hi." She remained at the window, staring determinedly at the setting sun. "You okay?"

"Fine."

"You're angry with me, aren't you?"

"No." Her voice broke slightly and he raised an eyebrow, but was surprised to see that she had been crying as she turned around.

"Ariel, come here." Hesitantly, she came over, sitting down beside him as he moved over. "Air, it's okay." It was the first time he had ever used her nickname.

Slowly, she laid her head on his shoulder as his arms went around her.

"It's okay." Something about the soothing tone to his normally harsh voice made her break down. The tears fell uncontrollably as she sobbed silently into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered as he rubbed her back gently.

"I know. Me too." Surprisingly, the short words comforted her more than any other gesture would have.

"I love you." As expected, he didn't respond, but merely tightened his grip on her.

"I heard your song last night," he said finally to break the silence.

"You did?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes." He squeezed her shoulder and she knew that meant that he liked it.

"At least you have an unbiased opinion," she teased and he ruffled her hair.

"Is Terry still here?"

"Yeah. He went to interrogate Tim a couple hours ago, but he should be back by now." Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I'm not about to question Terry's thought process." She stood. "I should probably check up on Ace. Poor mutt's been really depressed." She gave him one last hug before making her way to the door.

"Ariel?"

"Yeah?" In the second that she turned back, their eyes connected and then Bruce shook his head.

"Never mind." Smiling slightly, Ariel left the room. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say.

* * *

**Yay, main climax over! Gosh, I've wanted to write this scene for so long! Oh, and the song in this chapter is also from Little Mermaid 3. It's called I Remember. And next is the final face-off against Joker. R&R!**


	11. Final Battle

**Final Battle**

**Well, here's the second-to-last part of Return Of The Joker. Two or three more chapters should conclude the story. Sorry for the long wait, I was procrastinating while writing this. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Whatcha watching, boy?" Ariel asked as she entered the living room to see Ace watching a cartoon. "Oh my God, Bugs Bunny died?!"

"What the-?" Terry came up from the cave. "Ace, I thought I told you not to watch this!" The dog merely growled in rebellion as Ariel began laughing.

"Ter, maybe you should put a child block on this channel," she choked out through her giggles. Terry actually looked as though he was about to do that, then shook his head in exasperation and went back downstairs. "Seriously, Ace," Ariel said, clicking the television off as Ace whined in protest, "You shouldn't watch this. It's too depressing even for me."

She scratched behind the dog's ears for a moment before standing.

"Besides, I have to practice my song and I don't want the noise getting in my way." Ace made an indignant huffing sound and left for the cave as she chuckled, going over to the piano.

She began to play just the melody of the song this time, not including the words.

_"I remember..."_ she sang softly, then the music stopped as she heard someone coming downstairs.

"You shouldn't be up," she said quietly without turning as Bruce approached her.

"Would you have stopped me?" he returned, smirking as she scowled at him. "I thought not."

"Yeah, yeah, don't expect to be right all the time," she muttered, receiving another smirk before he went down into the cave. Shaking her head in exasperation, she covered the piano with the cloth and went after him.

She came upon Terry ranting about how he wasn't like Robin or the other kids Bruce had taken in. As she passed the display cases, though, something caught the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Ter, shut up for a second," she cut her friend off. He rolled his eyes, but did so. "Why did Joker go out of his way to destroy the Robin suit?" she asked, pointing at the tattered outfit.

"Robin did shoot him," Bruce said quietly and Terry gave Ariel a confused look.

"Yeah, I know already, Barbara told me way before she told you." With that, she stuck her tongue out at Terry. "Beat ya to it." He glowered at her.

"_If_ you're finished," Bruce cut in, glaring at the two of them as Ariel merely grinned and Terry shrank back.

"And besides, if that's what Joker's up to, then it's just a ghost out for revenge. I don't buy it," Ariel argued, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"I talked to Drake, he has less love for that costume than the Joker," Terry spoke up, "I think somehow he's behind this."

"I wasn't thinking that far, actually," Ariel admitted after giving it some thought, "And I've known Tim since I was a kid. He wouldn't be involved with this."

"And I've known him since _he_ was a kid," Bruce pointed out, "That's crazy."

"So was Drake, once," Terry stated.

"Harsh words, Ter," Ariel teased, causing him to smirk at her.

"Here. These are all the parts that the Jokerz stole," he said, bringing up the pictures. "Now let's combine them into something a satellite engineer would use. Someone of Tim Drake's caliber," he elaborated. The pictures came together to form...

"Satellite jamming system," Bruce realized, "Whoever has this can use it to take control of defense satellites and fire them at will."

"Yikes," Ariel cringed.

"I hate to say it, but I think your Robin's turned into a bitter old crow," Terry quipped finally and Ariel bit back a chuckle. "It's harsh, but what else do we have?" he finished.

"It makes more sense than the theory I came up with," Ariel agreed.

"What theory would that be?" Terry teased and Ariel opened her mouth. "If it involves evil vegetables..." She immediately closed her mouth and both Bruce and Terry shook their heads in exasperation.

"Suit up," Bruce ordered and Terry and Ariel nodded. "Take the car and check it out. I'll monitor you from here. And Ariel..." She turned as he tossed an earpiece to her: a commlink.

"My telepathy works fine, you know," she pointed out.

"The commlink works faster," he retorted and she gave up, going into an alcove to change into her cloak and leotard.

"What happened to leaving it to the police?" she called and could imagine the smirk on the old man's face.

"Not their game."

"There's something else we want to take with us," Terry said, removing his jacket as Ace looked up curiously. Ariel came out of the alcove, pulling on the hood of her cloak while smiling at the dog.

* * *

Half an hour later, the two vigilantes were headed towards the lab where Tim worked, Raven leading the way since she knew the route by heart.

After teleporting them inside the building, Raven led the way to the lab room she knew Tim would be in.

"Drake, drop the act. We know you're working with the Joker," Batman snapped. Tim continued working without turning.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear-" Raven began, reaching forward, then freezing as her hand passed through him. "Hologram," she whispered. Then she turned quickly as lasers blocked the doorway. Then a transmission flickered overhead and they looked up to find the Joker leering down at them.

_"You guessed it, Bat-Fake and Bird-Girl!" _Raven gave the clown a dirty look. _"The disgruntled Mr. Drake is indeed in my employ. Took him a few years, but he finally figured out who ran the real winning team."_

The screen switched to a picture of a satellite.

_"This is one of Uncle Sam's orbiting defense satellites. Hyperion-class, laser-armed. Handy little gadget for shooting down unfriendly missiles or giving someone a world-class hotfoot."_

Raven's eyes merely rolled, then widened as a simulation of the lasers came up.

_"Think of it as urban tagging on a grand scale, reminding all and sundry that this is Joker territory."_

The screen switched back to the Joker.

_"You're welcome to try and stop us, but I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon. Toodles!"_ The transmission ended with that and a black laser shot out at Raven, knocking her down as she yelped in surprise.

"You okay?" Batman asked, but she didn't answer because an array of pink laser beams shot at them. "Get us out of here?" he requested and she tried to do so, but couldn't.

"Looks like the black one shorted my powers out."

"Great," Batman muttered, "Any chance of them coming back?"

"I need a few minutes," she admitted.

"I can give you a few seconds," he suggested.

"Fair enough," she agreed, feeling her powers already returning, but they were still too weak to actually accomplish anything. He threw a Batarang, but the laser shot it before it even got a few feet away. The next laser shot his hand and he dragged Raven behind an overturned table as she focused on calling her powers back.

"I think they're back," she said, opening her eyes. With a swipe of her hand, the machine that was generating the lasers cut cleanly in half, falling apart. "Yep. They're back." The lasers disappeared immediately and Batman sighed in relief, inspecting the small burn on his hand while taking off his glove. "You okay?" she asked, also examining the burn.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes before waving her hand over his and healing it. "Thanks." She nodded once in acknowledgment before teleporting them outside.

_"Raven..."_ Bruce spoke finally.

"What?" she asked, placing a hand to her earpiece.

_"Stop listing the states in alphabetical order in your head. You're sending it to me mentally."_ She grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry." Batman snickered from beside her and ended up receiving a punch on the arm. "I'm trying to distract myself!" she argued as he placed a hand over his mouth to stifle another laugh.

* * *

"I noticed a brand name on one of the candy jars in the background," Raven said into her commlink as she flew alongside the Batmobile, "Jolly Jack."

_"It's an abandoned candy factory,"_ Batman informed her.

_"Just his style,"_ Bruce stated, sounding bitter.

Switching her commlink to one-way, she asked, "You okay, Dad?"

_"Once this is over, I will be."_ Then he paused. _"You called me 'Dad.'"_

"I know." She smiled slightly, even though she knew he couldn't see it.

* * *

_"You okay, Dad?"_

Bruce looked up at the concerned question he received from Ariel's side of the commlink.

Switching it to one-way so that Terry couldn't hear, he replied, "Once this is over, I will be." Then he froze, realizing what she had said. "You called me 'Dad.'"

_"I know,"_ she replied simply. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Ariel?" he spoke finally, his voice coming out softer than he had intended. Silently, he cursed himself for going sentimental.

_"Yeah?"_ she responded. He stayed silent for a moment, pondering on how to phrase his next words. _"Bruce?"_ A note of worry edged its way into her voice.

"Just...be careful." A slightly relieved laugh came from her end of the commlink.

_"Don't worry about me, Bruce. I'll be fine."_

"I never worry," he shot back and she laughed once more.

_"Sure you don't."_ There was a pause. _"I love you."_

As many times as he had heard her tell him that she loved him, he never believed it, not even when Barbara confirmed it. Ariel couldn't possibly love him, especially after what he had put her through.

"I thought you wished you had never met me," he replied bitterly and immediately regretted saying it when he received no answer, "Ariel?"

_"You __heard me."_ Her voice was strangled and he realized she had been hurt just as badly that night by her nightmare.

Concerned for her emotional status, he said quietly, "I'm not mad at you."

_"You should be."_

"But I'm not." She couldn't afford to lose it now, not when she was about to fight the Joker. He would only use her emotions against her. "We need to talk when you come home."

_"'Kay."_The teenage empath reverted to the soft monosyllabic speech that she only used when she was feeling particularly upset.

Bruce sighed, the sound too soft for the commlink to detect. He loved Ariel, even though he had sworn he wouldn't get attached to the girl the day he adopted her. It had been only a matter of time before she turned on him, too, just as everyone else did. And it hurt even more this time because she was the only one who actually said that she loved him, even if she hadn't meant it.

* * *

_"We need to talk when you come home."_ Raven didn't voice the morbid thought that had formed in her head after hearing that sentence.

If_ I come home._ She had no idea if she was going to survive this encounter or not. The Joker was a real threat, despite what she had thought at first.

"'Kay," was all she trusted herself to say before turning her link to Terry's commlink back on.

_"Hey, what happened? You both went offline,"_ Batman complained.

"Nothing," Raven said quickly, "We're fine." Batman began to protest, but then sighed and let it go.

_"You're sure?"_

_"Yes," _Bruce confirmed, _"Focus on finding the Joker first."_

_"I traced the name Jolly Jack to this address." _It was clear that Batman had sent the coordinates to Bruce. _"Tell Commissioner Gordon and her men to be there. Oh, and Raven, get in the car."_

"Why?" the empath questioned.

_"It's harder to talk to you while you're outside."_ Raven rolled her eyes before dropping into the car when the roof opened for her.

"You happy?" she snapped and Batman smirked at her as she scratched behind Ace's ears and the dog whined in pleasure, licking her cheek.

* * *

Batman frowned, worried when Bruce and Raven dismissed his concerned questions. He had tried to take a glance at Raven while she had been flying, but he couldn't take his eyes off the path of the Batmobile.

When both of them went offline at the same time, he knew they were still on tenterhooks with each other and were either resolving their conflict or making the problem even worse. As comfortable as Ariel had been around Bruce in the cave, Batman remembered her explanation of the argument they had gotten into earlier. There was no way _that_ could have blown over so quickly.

He knew the girl loved the old man, but whatever Bruce was doing to push Ariel away was really hurting her.

"We're heading over there-" he began to inform Bruce, but then a face flickered onscreen.

_"Well, aren't you the nasty tattletale...ratting me out before I have my fun. Papa spank!" _Joker cackled as Batman noticed Raven trying to hide a laugh by covering her mouth.

"You're not supposed to laugh at his jokes," he reprimanded her quietly.

"Sorry," she chuckled softly, then looked out the window to see a blue light surrounding the Batmobile. "Great, we're the target now! Step on it!" He did so, but the blast from the satellite sent the Batmobile spinning out of control. Ace barked madly as Raven and Batman tried to turn the hovercar around.

"Yeah, we know!" Batman snapped at the dog to stop the barking.

"This kinda makes me wonder how you passed Driver's Ed.," Raven commented casually as he gave her an incredulous look.

"Is this really the best time?" He managed to get the Batmobile straightened out before zooming down the road.

"It is for me," she shrugged, then looked over her shoulder to see the movie theater get blown up. "Slaggit. There go my Friday plans with Max." Batman glared at her and she gave him an innocent look. The beam then solidified into a ray, tearing through the road to try and hit the Batmobile. As they passed over a parking lot, it followed. "Was that the best idea?" Raven questioned in surprise, looking back at the now flaming cars.

"It's an empty parking lot. The car owners will be fine," Batman responded as they led the beam over a fountain, which exploded. Meanwhile, Joker was laughing crazily until he stopped abruptly, clutching his forehead. Raven and Batman exchanged a wide-eyed glance at this. Did Joker have a weakness?

"I'd better sit down before I bust a gut," the clown finally spoke in a strained voice, "Catch ya later, kiddies." The transmission ended there and the two teenagers stayed silent as the death ray dissolved.

"We're going after him," Raven spoke at last and Batman nodded in agreement, piloting the Batmobile towards the candy factory.

* * *

Raven sighed impatiently and teleported straight to the factory when she realized that Batman was going slower than usual.

_"What are you doing?!"_ Bruce demanded into her earpiece.

"Speeding things up," she replied casually, materializing behind the waiting Jokerz.

_"You should have just waited,"_ he lectured her.

"Can I just have my moment, please? You can lecture me later," she sighed and the Jokerz took notice of her.

"Gah! It's her!" the pumpkin-carrying Joker yelped, swinging said pumpkin at her. She blocked it and kicked him to the side, dodging the splicer as he sprang at her. Then everyone looked over as the pink Joker shot a bazooka at the approaching Batmobile. It hit its target, which spiraled down to the roof of the factory. Raven teleported out of the way and helped Batman free himself from the car.

"What kept you?" she teased and he shoved her lightly. Then they both looked over as the splicer approached, giggling dementedly. "Ace," Raven called casually and the dog emerged from the car, leaping at the splicer and attacking him. "Good Bat-dog," she cooed when Ace returned to them, leaving the splicer unconscious behind him.

"You're crazier than Joker," Batman muttered.

"Thanks!" she shot back before dodging a double-attack from the twin girls. Batman activated the camouflage feature on his suit and disappeared from view. Suddenly, something pushed one of the twins forward.

"Watch it!" she snapped at her sister and pushed her.

"You watch it!" the other argued. Then Batman pushed both of them to the ground as Raven watched from the side, interested.

"It's him!" the girls realized and began looking around for any sign of him. Then a box lifted behind them and they smirked, turning and running towards Batman. The box tipped over and spilled ball-shaped candies that made them lose their balance. Then they ran towards Batman as he appeared between them. Raven sighed in boredom and levitated him up into the air as the two girls collided with each other, knocking themselves out.

"You know, if you weren't a C student, you would've thought of that sooner," she commented, lowering him back to the ground.

"Thanks," he replied sardonically as they entered the building. He jumped over the railing and landed on the ground while Raven merely floated down.

"Cute playhouse," she remarked, gazing around at the toys and tools scattered on the table.

"You getting all this, Wayne?" Batman questioned and Bruce affirmed it.

_"Just keep your eyes out for the Joker,"_ he advised.

"Tim," Raven whispered suddenly, racing over to his unconscious form at the other end of the room.

"Careful," Batman cautioned and she nodded once, helping Tim sit up as he groaned.

"What? Who is it?" he questioned blindly.

"Drop the act, we know you're working for the Joker," Batman spoke harshly.

"Joker?" Tim seemed confused. "No, Joker's gone. I don't know where he is, really."

_"The suit's not picking up any pulse fluctuations. He's telling the truth," _Bruce informed the two teenagers through the commlink.

"Maybe, but he's still nuts," Raven muttered, watching Tim pick up a teddy bear that had been lying on the table.

"Oh God. I killed him. I tried so hard to forget," Tim spoke, horrified, "But I still hear the shot. Still see his dead smile."

"Should we call an ambulance?" Batman questioned Raven softly.

"No," Tim interrupted before the empath could answer, "Sorry about that, Terry, bad memories twisting inside me like bad oysters."

_"Bad oysters?" _Raven mouthed to Batman, trying not to laugh, but he had other thoughts on his mind.

"How did you know my name?" Raven had to admit, she was confused by that as well. She knew that Tim knew her name, but how had he found out Terry's?

"There's nothing I don't know about you, Bat-Fake." Tim picked up two balls and threw them at the teenagers. Each ball turned into a device that clamped onto their wrists and sent an electromagnetic pulse through their bodies, causing them to fall to their knees.

"What is it with me and getting hit with lasers and other crap today?" Raven complained.

"Not now," Batman snapped at her just as Bruce lectured her with the same words.

"Have a time out, kids. Can't let you spoil the party too soon," Tim spoke in a much calmer voice, strolling forward and stopping in front of the fallen vigilantes. Raven attempted to pull the device on her wrist off, but merely received a much larger shock.

"Raven!" Batman gave her a panicked look as she cried out in pain.

"And Bruce," Tim called casually, taking no notice of the girl in front of him, "I'm sure you've got your lackeys wired somehow. That's just peachy, because I want you to witness every minute of this. It's a killer." He started laughing in a way Raven had only associated with the Joker.

"No," she whispered without realizing. Right in front of their eyes, Tim was turning into the Joker.

"Ariel!" Batman pulled her towards him as Tim pushed all the random junk off the table, shielding her from the falling debris. "You okay?" She nodded into his shoulder, pulling away. By this time, Joker had replaced Tim and begun removing the lab coat, revealing the dark purple jumpsuit Raven was used to seeing him wear.

"Oh, I never get tired of that!" he laughed, no sign of Tim's voice anywhere in his cackle.

"Drake? You're the Joker?" Batman questioned, surprised.

"Please," Joker scoffed, "That flabby oaf doesn't even realize I'm using him a timeshare. Beneath this...puckish exterior, lies the mind of a genius." He smirked. "Years ahead of my time, in the weeks young Robin was under my tutelage, I used him as the subject of my greatest experiment."

"Let me guess. You stole a microchip from a lab and recorded your DNA on it, then planted it in Tim's mind," Raven stated dryly and Joker stared at her, surprised.

"What the...how did you know that?" he demanded.

"Oh, I was right?" She grinned sheepishly. "Lucky guess." Batman sighed in exasperation.

"She uses her brain for wild guesses and nothing useful." She stuck her tongue out at him and Joker glanced between them, blinking in confusion.

"Can I continue?"

"Oh, sure, go ahead," Raven said casually.

"Riiiiight. Anyway...everything that was me has been sleeping all comfy and cozy inside Tim Drake's subconscious." He showed them the microchip in the back of his neck. "Here." Raven stared at the microchip. "The changes come at will now, and soon, I'll be able to take over Drake's body completely. Mr. J's on the rebound, baby!" he cackled. "My comeback party's going to set the whole city on fire!" He went to the computer and began typing in a command.

"And you mean that literally, don't you?" Raven sighed, causing him to leer at her.

"You know, you'd look so much prettier with a smile on your face."

"Just try it, Bozo," she snapped as she and Batman glared at Joker. As Joker finished typing in his command, the large wooden head rose up, becoming a satellite dish that was obviously contacting the defense system in space. "Nice toy," Raven stated casually.

"Thanks!" Joker said brightly. "So where should I make ground zero?" He pulled up a picture of Gotham General Hospital and the yard behind Terry's apartment building, where Terry's mother was playing with Matt on the swings. "Gotham General, where our hero's dear little Dana is recuperating, or here, in the happy garden of Mrs. Mary McGinnis?" Raven took a glance at Batman to find him glaring at Joker, fists clenched. "I always think it adds a little resonance to a hero's mission to have some defining element of tragedy in his background, don't you?"

"Not really," Raven said simply and Joker shrugged.

"Oh well. To each their own." Then his face lit up. "Ah! But the one and only kickoff point must be stately Wayne Manor!" He pulled up a picture of Wayne Manor as Raven tensed.

_"Don't,"_ Bruce cautioned her, _"He's trying to provoke you."_

"If so, he's doing a good job of it," she snapped into the commlink without Joker noticing.

"Gone in a flash!" the clown was saying, "Before Brucie can hobble to safety, or mount a rescue!" Raven scowled and, ignoring the shock she received from the device on her wrist, telekinetically tossed a piece of metal at Joker's head. He dodged it quickly and she brought it back around to smack him in the back of the head. "Hit a nerve, did I?" He smirked while rubbing the back of his head. "Don't worry, though." He pulled up a map of Gotham now. "I'll be hitting those other spots soon enough." The three dots that symbolized the targets formed a smiley face.

"Don't you dare," Raven snarled, trying to pull herself into a standing position.

_"Ignore him,"_ Bruce lectured her and she exhaled in annoyance, pulling out the commlink device in her ear and turning it off. She dropped it in an inner pocket of her cloak.

"He says you shouldn't have done that," Batman relayed Bruce's message to Raven.

"Tell him I don't care." Joker blinked, looking back and forth between them.

"Can I continue now?"

"No," Raven snapped and he smirked, stepping back.

"Aren't we touchy?" She pulled the scrap piece of metal back up and hit him with it. This time, however, she couldn't ignore the electric shock that the device sent out. With a cry of pain, she dropped the metal and fell back to the floor. "Just so I can spare you some pain..." Joker said casually, pulling out a laser gun. He shot her with it and she absently noticed that it was the same black ray she had been shot with earlier.

"Like you care if it hurts," she muttered, rubbing her arm where the laser had hit.

"Good point," the clown shrugged. That was when Raven knew they were in trouble.

* * *

**The chapter was getting too long, so I'll end it here. I'll finish up the battle next chapter. R&R!**


	12. It's Over

**It's Over**

**This isn't the actual ending of the story, just the battle ending. Enjoy!**

* * *

"_Adios_, Brucie," Joker said casually, "I'd salute you as a worthy adversary and all, but truth is, I really did hate your guts." He blew a raspberry as Raven rolled her eyes. "So how about it, kids? Any last words for the old Bat-Fart?"

"Yeah. Sic him!" Batman commanded and Ace leapt over the table, tackling Joker.

"Good boy!" Raven said, impressed, as the dog returned and pulled the devices off their wrists. He immediately turned back around and went for Joker, who hit him with an electric joybuzzer. Ace fell back, stunned, as Joker approached him, grinning madly.

"End of the line, Snoopy." He was about to shock Ace again when Raven used her telekinesis to push him backwards. The joybuzzer flew off his hand and into the mess of wires behind him, causing sparks to fly out. The screen display changed to show a red dot blinking its way towards the factory.

"Lovely," Raven sighed.

"Oh, good, now the beam's headed here. Now I have to start all over again," Joker said sarcastically before scowling. "Thanks a lot, kids. See ya around." He made to leave.

"Hold it!" Batman grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"Oh, wise up, junior, game's over!" Joker shouted in his face.

"We're taking you in," Raven said shortly, stepping up beside Batman.

"Right," Joker cackled before bringing a foot up and kicking Batman away from him. He tossed Raven into Batman as the vigilante began to get up.

"Sorry!" Raven apologized as she moved away from Batman. "I blame the clown!"

"You're out of your league, brats. I know every trick the original Batman and Robin knew at their peak," Joker chuckled, walking forward and stopping in front of the two tangled teenagers **(A/N: ALLITERATION! XD)**.

"Maybe, but you don't know a thing about us," Raven said, finally managing to pull away from Batman.

"Ariel Swan, nearly seventeen years old, interested in being a doctor-" Joker began listing.

"Okay, you don't know a thing about _him_, then," she muttered while blushing slightly.

"A doctor, Air?" Batman questioned.

"Shut up," she snapped and he immediately did so.

"Can I continue?" Joker asked impatiently.

"I get the feeling you'll do so no matter what we say," Raven pointed out.

"Good point." Then he shrugged. "Besides, what's to know with you two? You're punks, rank amateurs. Costumed errand kids taking orders from a senile old man!" Raven shrugged; she always thought Bruce was slightly insane, anyway. Joker blinked at the lack of response at that, then continued, "Still, if it's a whoopin' you're a'wantin'..." while rolling up his sleeves.

Batman jumped to his feet and raced toward the door as Raven floated up, blinking in surprise.

"That's right, better to run and save yourself. It's about your speed," Joker taunted, but then his eyes widened when Batman closed the door, breaking the lever off in his hand and tossing the metal aside.

"Let's dance, Bozo." Joker scowled and swung at Raven, since she was nearest. She dodged before teleporting behind him, having felt her power return as soon as the device on her wrist had been removed.

"Missed me," she said casually, then teleported again as he turned to punch her once more. "Missed again!" He growled in frustration as she appeared behind him once more. "You're having a bad day, aren't you?" He kicked at her and she was too late to dodge. She fell back to the floor and stood unsteadily as Batman placed himself in front of her.

"He's tough. Any suggestions, boss?" he muttered into the commlink. Raven reached into her pocket, pulling out her own commlink and activating it to hear Bruce's advice.

_"Joker's vain and likes to talk, he'll try to distract you, but don't listen. Block it out and power on through,"_ the old man ordered.

"Don't we like to talk, too?" Raven asked Batman and he nodded, smirking slightly at her.

"Wait for my sign." She moved out from behind him, teleporting into the rafters as Joker looked around for her desperately. In his moment of distraction, Batman slamned his knee into Joker's stomach.

"Oof! What are you doing?!" the clown demanded.

"Fighting dirty," Batman said casually, grabbing hold of Joker's elbow and twisting it backwards.

"The real Batman would never-oorgh!" Batman had twisted the elbow further.

"Told ya you didn't know me." He pushed Joker backwards and the clown smirked, regaining his balance.

"Funny guy." Batman smirked, giving Raven a subtle countdown with his hand.

"Can't say the same for you," he stated.

_3...2...1... _Raven shot out her hand, teleporting Batman up to the rafters beside her just as Joker tried to run at him.

"Impudent brat. Who do you think you're talking to?" the clown hissed.

"Not a comedian, that's for sure!" Raven mocked, teleporting right behind him.

"Shut your mouth!" He shot at her with the black-laser gun as she teleported back up to the rafters.

"The real Batman never talked to you much, did he? That's probably why you were so fixated on him!" Batman taunted, tossing a Batarang that knocked the laser gun out of Joker's hand.

"Don't play psychoanalyst with _me_, boy!" Joker snarled.

"Mind if _I_ try, then?" Raven asked innocently. "We don't need degrees to figure you out." Batman tossed a Batarang at the power supply, killing the lights. The room was now lit by the blue laser approaching the factory. "The real reason you kept coming back was you never got a laugh out of the old man."

"I'm not hearing this..." Joker covered his ears.

"Get a clue, clowny," Batman took over, "He's got no sense of humor. He wouldn't know a good joke if it bit him in the cape." Raven smirked, knowing that was true; every cartoon reference she made went right over Bruce's head. Batman paused, then stated casually, "Not that you ever had a good joke." Raven stared at Batman, who shrugged.

"Death wish," she muttered, so quietly that Joker couldn't hear, but the teenage boy beside her could.

"Shut up...shut up!" Joker shouted, running to the doors to try and open them.

"I mean, joy buzzers, squirting flowers. Lame!" Batman called. "Where's the A-material?! Make a face, drop your pants, something!"

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Raven bit back a laugh; Joker was really losing it now. Batman smirked, tapping his head to let Raven know that he had a thought he wanted her to hear.

She tapped into his mind to hear, _Go ahead and laugh._ She grinned and nodded.

"You make us laugh. But only 'cause we think you're kind of pathetic." Batman nodded with a smirk, silently letting her know that the words she had used were perfect. Then Raven allowed herself to chuckle in a low tone, Batman joining in.

"Stop that!" Joker shouted, but they didn't stop laughing.

"So you fell in a tank of acid, got your skin bleached, and decided to become a supervillain," Raven taunted between giggles. "What, couldn't get a job as a rodeo clown?" She laughed harder as Joker went to a box of grenades, picking one up.

"Don't you dare laugh at me!" he snarled and Batman burst out laughing at that.

"Why?! I thought the Joker always wanted to make Batman laugh!" he shouted through his laughs.

"YOU'RE NOT BATMAN!" Joker tossed the grenade at the two. Raven couldn't teleport Batman and herself away in time and they got caught in the explosion, falling to the ground. Joker tossed another grenade at the fallen pair, causing Raven to be pushed away from Batman and hit an overturned table. Her hood fell back and she gave up trying to pull it back on. Joker pinned Batman beneath another table, wrapping his hands around the vigilante's throat after pulling off his mask.

"No," Ariel whispered weakly, sitting up. She caught sight of the sparks still shooting away from the wires and smirked slightly, telekinetically pulling out the joybuzzer and slipping it on her finger without Joker noticing.

"Come on, McGinnis, laugh it up now," Joker cackled as Ariel stood, silently approaching him from behind. "Miserable little punk! LAUGH!" He pressed against Terry's throat as the boy choked. "I can't hear you!" Joker taunted in a sing-song voice. Terry noticed Ariel and she flashed the joybuzzer at him, revealing her plan.

He smirked, then stated bluntly, "Ha...ha..." Then Ariel pressed the joybuzzer to the microchip on the back of Joker's neck and kept it there as he screamed in horror. Terry pushed the clown off him and pulled his mask back on as Ariel helped him stand, pulling her cloak's hood back on in the process. By this time, the microchip had crumbled away, leaving a dazed Tim Drake in Joker's place.

Raven sighed in relief as she pulled the hood of her cloak back on, dropping down beside Tim to help him sit up.

"Easy, we got you," she whispered and he gave her a grateful look as Batman took his other arm. "Ace, heel!" she called and the dog raced to her side, grabbing hold of her cloak with his teeth. "Hold on tight," she warned and teleported everyone outside just as the laser hit the factory. The heat of the explosion would have burned them had Raven not placed a black dome of energy around them in the last second, which absorbed the heat. As the flames subsided, Raven let go of the dome, wobbling a bit to try and regain her balance.

"My God!" Raven and Batman looked up to see Barbara and some other police officers rushing forward. Two of them took Tim from Batman and Raven.

"Hospital?" Batman questioned and Barbara nodded, turning away to the paramedics. Raven sighed in relief, gazing back at the ruined factory behind her and finally taking it in: the battle was over. Joker was gone. So why was she feeling suddenly exhausted?

"Raven, are you okay?" Batman questioned, turning to her. "You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine." She winced, though, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"You sure?" She hesitated, then shook her head, starting to feel faint.

"Raven?" Barbara had turned her attention to them and could see that the girl was about to collapse where she stood. "When was the last time she slept?"

"I don't know, I haven't actually talked to her in-Raven!" Raven's knees had given way and he caught her before she hit the ground. "Ariel, when was the last time you slept decently?" he hissed softly so that no one else could hear his use of her real name.

"Dunno..." she mumbled into his shoulder. "...a few days ago...? Before Joker showed up, definitely..."

"And the last time you ate anything?" She merely shrugged weakly and he sighed. She hadn't slept properly in nearly a week and hadn't eaten in God-knows-how-long. No wonder she'd collapsed.

"Get her back to the cave," Barbara said quietly, "I'll take care of Tim." Batman nodded, lifting Raven into his arms while making sure that the hood of her cloak stayed on.

_"Keep her awake,"_ Bruce ordered into Batman's commlink.

"Air, I need you to stay awake until we get you home. Can you do that?" She nodded tiredly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Good."

When he lowered her into the Batmobile, Ace immediately jumped in beside her, licking Raven's face gently. She smiled weakly, lowering her hood and scratching behind the dog's ears as he whined softly, nuzzling her shoulder. Batman smiled slightly, knowing that Ace would keep her awake, before focusing on returning to the cave.

* * *

"I'm fine!" Ariel protested sleepily as Bruce and Terry checked her vitals.

"Whatever you say," Bruce said absently as he felt her forehead.

"You're not even listening to me!" she whined. She instinctively drew back from the needle that was about to collect a blood sample from her.

"Would you rather I 'accidentally' stabbed you with this?" the old man threatened and she reluctantly held out her arm, flinching when the needle punctured her skin.

"Getting violent, are we?" she chuckled, receiving a cuff to the head. "Hey, that's child abuse!" she complained and Bruce merely glared before taking the blood sample over to the Batcomputer to analyze it. "I'm telling Barbara!"

"She's on my side," he returned sharply, "She called earlier."

"Slaggit," she muttered, placing a Band-Aid over the now-bleeding puncture hole in her arm. Thankfully, Bruce didn't hear her swear.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Terry said cheerfully, not having heard their argument, and she shot him an exhausted glare.

"Bite me, Bat-boy." He stuck out his tongue at her as she did the same.

"Ariel, sit still," Bruce reprimanded, seeing her getting off the examination table. She froze, caught in the act, before getting back onto the table and trying to keep herself sitting upright. Terry smiled slightly, coming over and squeezing his friend's shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey, we're almost done, okay? Then you can get some sleep." She seemed to cheer up slightly at that, but the effect was ruined by the tired expression on her face and her slight swaying. "You did great tonight, Air. I couldn't wish for a better partner." She smiled, resting her forehead on her friend's shoulder.

"Thanks, Ter." He chuckled softly, ruffling her dark hair gently and allowing her to rest against him.

"Done," Bruce announced.

"Can I go to sleep now?" she pleaded, pulling away from Terry.

"Fine." She got off the table, heading upstairs to her room.

"So what's wrong with her?" Terry questioned, coming over to the Batcomputer.

"Sleep deprivation, mostly, but she hasn't eaten, either, so that's why she collapsed instead of just feeling tired." Glancing towards the stairs, Bruce stated, "She shouldn't be out on patrol for, at most, a week. Can you handle it alone?"

"Sure," Terry agreed. As long as his friend was okay, he didn't care what it cost him. "Did you have to be so hard on her, though?"

"She was the one who was starving herself." All the same, Bruce looked slightly guilty, an emotion rare for him.

"You should check on her," Terry suggested, seeing Bruce glance at the stairs again. The old man hesitated, then nodded, standing.

"You'll be okay?"

"I know where the door is," Terry chuckled and earned a slight smile before Bruce left to check on Ariel. Sighing, the teenage boy followed after some time. He just hoped Ariel would be okay.

* * *

Silently opening the door to Ariel's room, Bruce was surprised to find said empath hovering a few inches in the air, meditating.

"I thought you were tired." She dropped back onto her bed with a yelp of surprise.

"Don't do that!" She recovered quickly from her shock, sitting up. "Besides, I figured I needed it."

"It's been a long night." He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Get some sleep. By the way, you're banned from patrol for a week."

"What?! Why?!"

"Mainly because you're still weak-" She glared at this. "-and as punishment for starving yourself."

"I forgot!"

"That doesn't change anything. You're still banned." She scowled before getting into bed, turning away from him as he softened. "By the way, I lied. Barbara never called."

"Whatever." She was obviously mad at him.

"If you want to report me for child abuse, you can." She chuckled quietly, now sounding less angry.

"So you do have a sense of humor. I was beginning to lose all hope for you."

"Careful or I'll take it back," he threatened lightly, causing her to laugh once more. Hesitantly, he brushed the back of his hand over her cheek and she turned over to look at him, a small smile on her face.

"'Night, Bruce."

"Goodnight, Ariel." He made to stand, but she caught his hand.

"Don't leave," she pleaded softly, "Please." He knew she was only asking because she didn't want another nightmare. Gazing into her eyes, he was suddenly reminded of the night they had met. Though her eyes had darkened over time, they still held the same fear and desperation he had seen that night.

"I won't." He sat back down beside her as she relaxed, her breathing evening out gradually and her grip on his hand loosening slightly.

"Bruce?" Her speech came out slow and thick from drowsiness.

"Yes?" Absently, he stroked her dark hair.

"Can I..." She yawned. "...go see Tim tomorrow?" He smiled slightly.

"Sure."

"You come, too," she murmured. "Don't want you to..." She yawned once more. "...become a vampire." He frowned at that; had sleep deprivation made her delusional?

"Okay." It wasn't long before she had fallen asleep. He hesitated, not sure whether to leave her, when Ace came through the open door, hopping up onto the bed and curling up beside Ariel. He laid his head on the girl's shoulder protectively, giving Bruce a look that clearly said, _'I can take care of her.'_

The old man sighed before standing and leaving the room, closing the door behind him. She didn't need him. She just needed someone with her. He really needed to stop getting his hopes up.

* * *

When Ariel heard the door close, she awoke, looking around to find that Bruce had left and that Ace was now sitting by her side, gazing at her confusedly.

She considered calling Bruce back, but then sighed, sinking back down onto her bed. He had obviously left for a reason.

"Should I call him back?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her canine friend's head and Ace merely sneezed. "Bless you." She smiled as he tweaked his nose with his paw. "Never mind." She dropped a kiss on the dog's head, rationalizing that the only reason she hadn't asked Bruce to come back was because she was too tired. Besides, he probably had work to do.

With that thought, she sank into a dreamless sleep, an arm wrapped around the warm furry body beside her.

* * *

After everything that had happened that night, Ace wasn't surprised that Ariel was so tired.

What he _was _surprised to hear was that she hadn't slept in nearly a week nor eaten in God-knows-how-long.

He had nearly panicked when Ariel collapsed outside the factory, but then remembered Bruce's constant advice to both her and Terry about keeping their emotions in control. Ace didn't think Bruce meant that advice towards him, since he was a dog and according to most humans, dogs don't have actual emotions (shows how smart humans are, right?), but he practiced it, anyway.

During the ride back to the cave, he had tried to keep Ariel awake through all means: licking her hand, nudging her in the shoulder, trying to get her to play with him, rubbing his head against her cheek, everything. She had merely smiled weakly before scratching him behind his ears, silently showing her appreciation for his efforts. Occasionally, she whispered a "Thank you" that was almost inaudible before burying her face into his fur.

He had never loved her more.

When he came into her room to check on her, Bruce merely just sighed and left. Ace would have called the old man back, but he didn't want to risk waking Ariel up.

Ariel woke up anyway when the door closed, looking around desperately for Bruce. It was clear that she had wanted him to stay. She asked Ace for his opinion on whether to call Bruce back or not, to which Ace sneezed. He had meant to tell her yes, but his nose had betrayed him. He tweaked it as best as he could with his paw, annoyed with himself.

Smiling at his actions, the girl went back to sleep, though Ace could see the slight discomfort on her face.

With a doggy sigh, Ace nuzzled Ariel's shoulder gently, feeling her arm go around him. He intended to make sure she would eat and sleep like a normal human for as long as she needed to, even if she wasn't a normal human at all.

He had seen the extent of Ariel's powers and found, to his surprise, that he didn't care. She was still the same Ariel who had been kind to him when they had first met, the same Ariel who had played with him when she was supposed to be doing her work, and the same Ariel whom he had fallen asleep next to every night since he was a puppy. Her powers did not change who she was and Ace was glad for that.

He couldn't lose one of the few humans whom he cared for more than life itself.

* * *

**Yay, two more chapters and I'm done! R&R!**


	13. Closure

**Closure**

**Sorry, I haven't written about Ariel's visit with Tim the next day because the same thing that happens in the movie happens there. Next chapter's the epilogue and I'm done! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Is it me, or is Ace forcing me to eat?" Ariel asked at breakfast the next morning when she stopped eating and Ace growled warningly. The same thing had happened twice already. She picked up a spoonful of cereal experimentally and then put it back in the bowl. Sure enough, Ace growled again.

"Good. He saves me the effort," Bruce commented and Ariel shot Ace a betrayed look. The canine merely nudged her free hand and she scratched behind his ears before reluctantly taking another spoonful of cereal. Ace barked triumphantly and she sighed. Sometimes that dog was too smart for his own good.

Unfortunately for Ariel, the same thing happened every single time she had to eat for the rest of the day.

Bruce merely found it rather amusing while Terry, when he arrived at the Manor and found out why Ace had been sticking to Ariel's side all day, couldn't help but laugh and tease the empath, who had to threaten to hang him upside down from the ceiling of the cave to make him stop. He knew she would follow through with her threat and so did not question her.

* * *

That evening, Ariel had been sent to bed early (well, ten o'clock was early for her) and Bruce had gone to his room after telling Terry to come back from patrol. He raised an eyebrow when he saw a small black book sitting on the windowsill. It was probably Ariel's and she had forgotten and left it there.

Bruce picked up the book, opening it to find black pages with bright blue words scribbled on them.

The first page read: Ariel's Diary. A subscript stated: If Terry reads this, I will hang him upside down from the ceiling of the cave and won't let him down until Bruce tells me to (and even then, I'll have to think about it).

Bruce smiled slightly, his curiosity getting the better of him as he turned to a random page.

_June 22nd, 2039-_

_THE WORLD IS ENDING! Okay, no it isn't, but Terry's just become Batman! Definite recipe for disaster. What was Bruce thinking?! Oh, and it turns out Bruce used to be Batman until about twenty years ago or something and never told me :P. And Barbara, Tim, and Dick knew. Heck, Barbara was Batgirl, Tim was Robin, and Dick was Nightwing! I'M LIVING IN A CONSPIRACY! And now I have to train with a former Teen Titan, Raven, to control my freaky magical powers of destruction and chaos. Yay (twirls finger in obvious enthusiasm). I gotta go, I promised Raven I'd_ _meet her at the park later to practice levitation (she thinks that I'm getting distracted by Terry getting his butt kicked by a simulation. Is it my fault it's funny to watch?). Write later!_

_-Ariel._

_P.S. I just realized...how are we going to train in the park where people can see us? Well, I suppose I'll find out soon enough._

_P.S.S. Just got back from training. Turns out Raven actually just wanted to meet me at the park so she can take me over to her house and train me there. Her husband's actually really nice...and really funny. Raven threatened to kill me if I ever laughed at his jokes (but I laughed, anyway XD. All she did was sigh and shake her head, claiming that I was a lost cause. As if I didn't know that already)._

Chuckling softly, the old man turned to the most recent entry and began reading.

_May 17th, 2040-_

_(bangs head against a wall repeatedly)_

_I bet you're wondering why I'm giving myself a headache (if you're not, humor me). Well, it all started two days ago when the Jokerz stole some more high-tech junk. Yeah, third time this week. They need lives. Anyway, Terry and I stopped them, but they got away, which sucks, but I digress._

_So the next night, we were supposed to go to the opening of the new Wayne Enterprises building. I, as usual, was completely insecure about the way I looked, but Terry and Bruce managed to force me out of my room. I digress again._

_We were there, the same gang of Jokerz crashed the party, and some nut claiming to be the original Joker showed up. Terry and I left, changed, and came back, tried to catch them, but they got away, I got a cut on my shoulder which Terry said needed stitches while I cringed in horror. Same old, same old._

_The next day, I cornered Barbara in her office and basically begged her to tell me what was so scary about Joker. Eventually, I got her to tell me. Now I'm starting to wish I never asked._

_So I came home and told Bruce I was going to see Tim (let's face it, I have a death wish). That led to me getting mad at Bruce for keeping this whole Joker thing a secret from me, especially when he told me that there weren't any more secrets._

_So I went to see Tim, talked to him a bit, we both ranted about how unfair Bruce was being, etc. I'm really digressing a lot today..._

_Then I teleported back to the Manor when Terry came out, telling me that Bruce fired him. And here I am, already mad at him, now even more angry because Terry wouldn't even let me talk to him. So I went in, yelled at Bruce again (yeah, I'm really feeling bad for that now, you'll see why in a sec), went up to my room, enough said._

_Now here comes the stupidity in me. I said I wished I'd never met Bruce, and turns out he heard me. Yeah, I'm so smart, right? (smacks self in head) He probably hates me now._

_The next day went by really fast, actually. I stayed in my room all day, wallowing in depression while working on my song for the talent show (yeah, I'm actually joining, Terry's idea). Around nighttime, I went down, started playing my song on the piano. When I finished, it turned out Joker had broken into the manor. He knocked me out (I decided to let my emotions get in the way and completely forgot about my powers. I'm so smart :P)._

_Next thing I know, Terry's waking me up. Joker had attacked Bruce in the cave. He still hasn't woken up._

_I hate myself right now. More than I did when my parents died. I can't lose him, too._

_This is all my fault._

The last few sentences were as if they had been written by a shaky hand.

_Terry told me to get some sleep and so did Barbara, but I'm not going to. Not until I'm sure that Bruce is okay._

_(sigh) I'm such an idiot. I'll write later._

_-Ariel._

Closing the diary, Bruce left the room, crossing the hallway and opening Ariel's door.

* * *

Ariel lifted into the air and hovered two inches above her bed, crossing her legs and closing her eyes. She felt she needed the meditation tonight as well.

"Azarath Metri-" She stopped herself, opening her eyes and blinking. Where had that come from? Rachel had obviously taught her too well.

Suppressing a smile, Ariel went back to meditating, this time silently.

Then her mind slowly began replaying the events of the past week and she clenched her fists, trying not to remember. Forcing herself to take deep breaths, she pushed the memories out of her mind before focusing on random objects, such as her fifth generation iPod Video (speaking of which, what had happened to it? Oh well, now she had to ask Bruce for a new one), her cellphone (which she really needed to charge), her diary...wait a second, where was her diary? The last time she had used it was the previous day in Bruce's...room...

_SLAGGIT!_ she thought. _I left it in there! _

As if on cue, a book landed in her lap, causing her to lose her concentration and fall out of the air once again, yelping in surprise. Taking a glance at the book, she saw it was her diary.

_Well, that was ironic. Maybe I hadn't left it in Bruce's room after all..._

"I found it in my room." She looked up to find Bruce in the doorway.

_So much for that hope._ "And you read it?" she asked.

"No." She raised an eyebrow. "...maybe."

"Which entry?" she sighed.

"Yesterday's." She gazed at the book in her hands, realizing what entry that had been. "Ariel, I told you we needed to talk," he spoke at last and she nodded reluctantly, moving over so that he could sit beside her on the bed while placing the diary in its usual hiding place: under her pillow.

"About what?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not angry with you for what you said that night."

"You should be," she repeated her words from the previous night.

"But I'm not. I deserved all of it." Their eyes met before Ariel dropped her gaze to her knees. "You don't believe me."

"Quite honestly, why should I?"

Bruce paused for a long time, contemplating his choices, then gave up and replied almost inaudibly, "...because I love you." He braced himself for her response.

Ariel froze. She lifted her head, meeting his eyes with her wide cobalt ones. Then she broke out into a smile before throwing her arms around him. Surprised by her reaction, he automatically returned the embrace as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"You don't hate me?" she whispered.

"Never. I love you, Ariel," he repeated softly, feeling a sense of calm and relief sweeping over him for the first time in several years. She finally knew.

"I love you, too, Bruce," she answered finally, her voice constricted with tears and muffled by his shoulder. Allowing himself to stay out-of-character for a bit longer, he brushed his lips against her forehead and she smiled contentedly, closing her eyes.

* * *

Terry watched as Ariel fell asleep and the old man merely half-smiled in her direction. He had not noticed the teenage boy.

Terry knew that Ariel loved the old man; if the night Joker had attacked them didn't show that, nothing did. He had had no idea, though, that Bruce reciprocated the feeling towards the girl just as strongly.

Just then, Bruce looked up and caught Terry's eye.

Beckoning the teenage boy in, he whispered, "Close the door behind you." Terry did so and sat down on the other side of the bed.

"She loves you, you know," he spoke quietly at last.

"I know."

"And you love her." It was more of a statement than a request for confirmation.

"...yes." In spite of admitting that he actually had a heart, the contented expression was still on the old man's face as he gazed down at Ariel. Looking up, he pointed out, "You love her, too."

"Like a sister," Terry said quickly, then frowned. "So how'd you two meet, anyway?"

"She never told you?" Terry shook his head.

"Nothing specific, anyway."

"Her parents were killed in front of her. She had nowhere to go. Barbara guilted me into taking her in."

"Would've loved to see that," Terry muttered and received a mild glare from Bruce.

"And how did you two meet?" Terry gave Bruce an incredulous look, but merely received an inquisitive look.

"She was being picked on by some kids in preschool on the first day. I stood up for her and would have been beaten up for it if she hadn't been there. Girl's got a killer right hook." Terry smirked in reminiscence.

"I remember that day. She was so nervous, she tried to stay with me." The teenage boy snickered. "It did her some good to have you there. The one thing she was worried about most was not making any friends." The old man stayed silent for a moment, gazing at the sleeping girl. "She was too lonely for a four-year-old."

"Guess she took after you in that aspect," Terry pointed out and received a smirk from Bruce.

"Most likely. Though she did get better after we got Ace." As if on cue, said dog padded into the room, jumping onto the bed and settling at Ariel's feet.

"I remember that," Terry recalled, "She was so excited the next day in school. It took me ages to calm her down enough to actually tell me why she was so happy." Both of them chuckled softly as Ace looked up curiously. "That's right, we're talking about you," Terry told the dog, who merely cocked his head to the side confusedly.

"You're insane, Ter," Ariel's tired voice came and they both smirked down at her. "Driving clowns crazy, talking to dogs, what's next? Jumping off a building for no reason?"

"I'll look into that," Terry shot back, causing her to glare at him.

"Do that and I'll kick your-"

"He gets the idea," Bruce interrupted before she could use any swearwords. She gave the old man an amused look before laying her head back on his shoulder.

"So what were you two talking about?"

"First day of preschool," Terry responded and she smiled.

"Those kids were pathetic."

"Preschoolers, Ariel," Bruce reminded her.

"Yeah, but the way they went on, you'd think they were the biggest mob bosses in the city," Terry agreed with his friend, "Wasn't Nelson one of them?"

"You know, I think he was," Ariel chuckled, "Now I remember why he hates us. You stood up to him for me and then when his cronies tried to beat you up, I punched him in the face."

"Smart girl," Bruce said, impressed.

"I know!" she said cheekily with a grin.

"Careful, Air, your ego's going to knock me off the bed," Terry teased, receiving a kick in the shin. "Hey!" Then he asked, "Didn't you hit me, too?"

"Yeah, but that was earlier on. I hit you because you stole half of my cookie." Bruce merely shook his head in amusement.

"It was a very good half-cookie, too!" Terry stood quickly, avoiding the second kick she sent his way. "Fine, if you're going to keep hitting me, I'm leaving."

"Hey, you know I'm kidding," she apologized and then relaxed as he grinned.

"Yeah, but I promised I'd babysit Matt tonight, anyway." With that, he left the room.

"So, hit Terry, did you?"

"He stole part of my cookie, I had every right," she informed Bruce.

"Right...and Nelson?"

"He tried to beat up Terry," she stated matter-of-factly.

"But I thought you were angry with Terry?"

"Nah, he was just trying to cheer me up, actually."

"Whatever you say." Carefully, he nudged her back onto his shoulder. "Go back to sleep."

"Mm-kay." The girl was already half-asleep. With a smile, he leaned back against the pillows, allowing the teenage empath to lean her head against his chest. Leaning up, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

"Don't leave." She let her hand close around his to make sure he wouldn't.

"I won't."

"You did last time," she accused.

"I didn't think you needed me," he spoke truthfully.

"You were wrong," she mumbled. It wasn't long before her breathing evened out once more. Smiling, he stroked her hair absently before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the girl's forehead. Maybe a happy ending was meant for him, after all.

* * *

Terry leaned against the wall outside Ariel's room, processing everything he and Bruce had been talking about.

There was no denying it; the old man really did love Ariel just as much as she loved him.

To his surprise, though, Terry found that he was happy for both of them. Ariel had often confided in him that she was worried about Bruce's lack of emotion. Now she wouldn't have to worry anymore because, through her concern, Terry could see that the real reason she agonized over Bruce's emotions was because she had never received an "I love you" from him. The teenage boy knew that that was all Ariel wanted from the old man.

He remembered how lonely Ariel had been the day they had met and agreed with Bruce: a four-year-old shouldn't have been that shy.

_Terry looked around the campus of his new preschool, hoping to find a familiar face, but couldn't find any._

_"Are you sure I'll make new friends?" he asked his mother skeptically._

_"Yes, Terry, I'm sure. Now go inside, I'll pick you up at noon." Terry scowled, but reluctantly went, but not before seeing a little girl about his age clinging to an old man's leg. Curious, he went closer, but not so much that they noticed him._

_"But I don't want to go," the girl was pleading, "I wanna stay with you."_

_"It's okay. I'll be right here at noon, I promise." She gave him a condescending look._

_"I can't tell time."_

_"Well, you'll learn eventually." She stuck out her tongue at him and he merely smirked at her before squeezing her shoulder gently. "Nothing's going to happen."_

_"Promise?" she asked softly, gazing up at him while letting go._

_"Promise," he repeated. She reluctantly left, waving when she reached the entrance of the school. The old man merely returned the gesture with a small smile before leaving. Immediately, the girl deflated even further as she watched him leave. Terry guessed she was really close to the old man._

_As he made his way into the school, he bumped into the same girl._

_"Sorry," he apologized, entering a classroom as she followed him._

_"It's okay," she mumbled._

_"I'm Terry," he introduced himself, holding out his hand. She stared at it for a moment before taking it and giving him a small smile._

_"I'm Ariel." Looking up at the room number, she stated, "Looks like we're in the same class."_

_"You can read?" Terry asked, impressed. He knew they weren't supposed to learn to read until first grade._

_"Sort of. Just things that I hear over and over until I know what they look like when written," she admitted. "My, um...dad helped me learn the room number so that I knew where to go." He noticed the slight pause at the word dad._

_"Why'd you pause?" She looked uncomfortable, but answered anyway._

_"He's not really my dad. My real parents, um...died." His eyes widened in comprehension._

_"Sorry, I-"_

_"It's okay," she interrupted with a small smile. "Hardly remember them." Terry knew that was a lie. "Bruce is all I need." She sighed, gazing at the floor. "I wish I could stay with him instead of coming here." The teacher then called for their attention, so Ariel and Terry couldn't talk anymore._

_The teacher handed out cookies to everyone and Terry teasingly stole half of Ariel's, causing her to lightly punch him in the arm._

_"Hey, it's just a cookie!" he laughed and she reluctantly gave a smile._

_Then it was recess, where Ariel sat by the jungle gym while Terry went to find a ball for them to play with._

_"Oh look, if it isn't the little freak," a nasally voice sneered. Ariel's head shot up to find three boys advancing on her, the middle one with red hair and a tiny sports jacket._

_"I-I'm not a freak," she stammered. The redheaded boy pulled on one of her pigtails as she cried out. "Stop it!" Suddenly, a ball came out of nowhere and smacked the boy in the head._

_Terry glared at them as he picked the ball up. It was clear that he had been the one to throw it._

_"Leave her alone!" Ariel gave him a grateful smile, but her look changed to worry when the redhead signaled to his two friends, who began advancing on Terry as he backed away._

_"Hey!" The redhead turned just as Ariel punched him in the face. "Nobody hurts my friend!" Terry laughed in appreciation as the two boys stood still, surprised that their leader could go down so quickly. Then all three of them ran as Ariel and Terry laughed at them._

_"So I'm your friend, huh?" Terry asked and Ariel shrugged._

_"Guess so." She smiled and held out her hand. He took it, returning the grin._

_"You're not really a freak, are you?" Ariel looked down at the ground._

_"...no." Terry didn't catch the pause this time._

_At the end of the school day, Ariel reluctantly said goodbye to Terry before running over to Bruce's side, chattering a mile a minute about her day._

_"-and I made a new friend!" He raised an eyebrow at her._

_"Did you?"_

_"Yeah!" She waved over to Terry, who waved back with a smile before explaining to his mother who he had been waving to. "That's Terry, my friend!"_

_"I see." He smiled slightly down at Ariel. "What did I tell you?"_

_"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, slightly put out, "Don't expect to be right all the time."_

_"I don't intend to be," he chuckled slightly as she frowned._

_"What does 'intend' mean?" Bruce merely just shook his head in amusement before leading her to the car._

Now, as he drove home on his bike, Terry couldn't help but smile when recalling how Ariel had clung to the old man. Their connection may not have been the same as his relationship with the ones he cared about, but they still loved each other, in their own special way.

Terry found that he could appreciate that more than anything.

* * *

**Like I said, next is the epilogue, where you'll find a surprise. R&R!**


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Quite literally, this is the episode Epilogue from Justice League Unlimited. So this takes place 15 years after the previous chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ter?" Ariel asked confusedly as he left the Batcave angrily.

"Did you know about this?" he asked, shoving a paper at her. She caught it and scanned it: a DNA test result. The two DNA strands turned out to be alike.

"Whose are these?" She had a feeling she knew, but didn't want to assume anything.

"Bruce's...and mine." Her eyes widened as she dropped the paper. She had been right. "He's...my biological father." Terry looked pained to be saying it. "And he's yours, too."

"What?!" He gave her another sheet, which she glanced at, recognizing her own DNA on the right while Bruce's DNA was on the left. They were exactly the same. "No..." she whispered, sinking onto the couch.

"Air, it's not just that," Terry said finally as she looked up, "If this is true, then that means...we're siblings."

"That part, I don't mind, actually," she admitted as he smiled slightly.

"Yeah, me neither." He dropped down beside her. "I asked Bruce about it." She gave him a skeptical look. "Okay, we had a fight over it. And he said that he had nothing to do with it. How could he not know that he was our father?!" Terry was getting angry again. "And he said that I was intended, but you weren't!" He stood again, pacing the room as she also stood hesitantly.

"Ter, maybe you should hear him out," Ariel attempted to pacify her friend (brother?).

"Easy for you to say!" He now turned on her. "You were just a freak accident!" The instant the words left his mouth, the tension in the air grew. "Ariel...I..." Terry began, realizing his mistake, "Oh God, I...I didn't mean..."

"A freak accident," she echoed, backing away.

"I'm sorry," he tried to apologize, his voice soft and pleading.

"Why apologize when you're right?" she asked, somehow managing to keep her voice even. "I am a freak accident. If I hadn't been born, my parents, my real parents, would still be alive!"

"Air, that's not-"

"Don't you dare tell me it's not true!" She pushed past him, racing up the stairs.

"Ariel!" Terry called, but she didn't listen as she slammed the door to her room and dropped onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow and allowing herself to cry.

After what seemed like a long time, she heard the door open.

"Ariel?" Bruce's voice came, making her want to cry even more. "Ariel, it's okay." She felt his hand close around hers, squeezing gently. She sat up and rested her chin on his shoulder, feeling his arms wrap around her. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's true," she said finally, her voice breaking.

"Yes." His grip on her tightened. "I never intended either of you to find out. I had nothing to do with this and it wasn't until a few months after the Joker incident that I found out."

"How?" she asked curiously, her emotional outburst from earlier forcing her to feel too drained to do anything but get answers.

"Remember Amanda Waller?"

"Cadmus," she realized.

"Right. She wanted a new Batman to take over when she saw that I couldn't take up the mantle anymore. So she attempted to create one."

"Terry?"

"Yes. She used you as a test subject, injecting my DNA into your father's body." She laid her head on his shoulder. "But something went wrong."

"My powers?" she asked and felt his hand squeeze hers lightly. He knew she was sensitive about her powers.

"I was going to say that you turned out to be a girl, but yes, that too." He smirked at her as she stuck out her tongue at him.

"And then she tried again on Terry," Ariel finished, "And it worked."

"Yes." There was a long silence between them.

"He said I was a freak accident," she said quietly. Bruce didn't have to ask to realize she was talking about Terry.

"He's wrong." The old man tilted her chin up so that their eyes were meeting. "You may have been an accident, but you are by no means a freak."

"But my parents," she tried to explain. "If it weren't for me..."

"Don't blame yourself for your parents' deaths." He took her hands in his. "They knew what they were getting themselves into when they first found out about your powers. Just like I did."

"But you never gave me away," she pointed out and he knew what she was referring to; the night nearly fifteen years ago when she had stated that she wished she had never met him. They both now knew it wasn't true, but she still held some guilt from the incident.

"And, given the choice, your parents wouldn't have, either." She buried her face into his shoulder. "You may have been an accident, but you were the best accident that could ever happen to anyone."

"Really?" she asked hopefully, sounding so much like a five-year-old rather than the adult she was that he smiled.

"Really." She closed her eyes, a sense of contentment filling her.

"I love you, Dad." The term made him smile again.

"I love you, too, Ariel." He had been much more open with Ariel ever since the Joker incident.

"I don't think it's a coincidence we met," she said finally and he squeezed her shoulder.

"Neither do I." He cast a glance over to the doorway, thinking of Terry. "He'll come around soon enough."

"What makes you think he'll be back?" she asked amusedly.

"He always comes back. No matter how much I don't want him to." She rolled her eyes and chuckled. It was then that he noticed something: her eyes were the same as his.

"What?" she asked curiously, seeing him stare.

"You have my eyes." She blinked once confusedly, then laughed, her blue eyes lighting up. Bruce absently wondered if his eyes had ever done that whenever he laughed.

"I always thought that Terry looked like you, actually." Her voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"Terry looks like you more than I do," she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." He studied her face, seeing even more of his features in the young woman. She had been a walking mirror of him the whole time and he hadn't even realized it until only fifteen years ago.

She sighed, making the same exasperated face he usually made.

"What's wrong?" she asked patiently, as if he were a little kid who had done something wrong.

"I'm just...realizing how stupid I am." He pushed a strand of black hair out of her eyes...his eyes.

He was a father. It had never hit him until now, not even when he had first found out.

_I'm a father._

A small smile pulled at his lips.

"Stupid or insane?" Ariel questioned, giving him a wary look. He didn't blame her; after all, he had smiled three times that day. She was most likely wondering whether to take him to the new Arkham asylum building or not.

"Probably both at this point." She laughed once more.

"Sad part is, that's probably true," she chuckled. They both looked up when a knock came from the door. "It's open!" Ariel called, knowing it would be Terry.

She had been right. The young man stepped into the room.

"Air, can we talk?"

"Sure," she agreed, then sent Bruce a look that clearly said to leave them alone.

"Thanks," the old man said sarcastically, standing up.

"You know you love me," she laughed, earning a small smile from him before he left, leaving the two friends (now siblings) in the room together.

"Air-"

"Ter-" They broke off. "You first," Ariel offered as he sat down beside her on the bed.

"I had no right to call you...an accident."

"I know."

"You know I'd never hurt you on purpose."

"I know." She was enjoying this so far.

"I'm so sorry."

"...I know."

"Ariel..." he warned.

"Okay, okay!" She laughed, the sound causing Terry to relax. "You're forgiven." Then she softened. "I can't stay mad at you, Ter. You're my best friend." He wrapped his arms around her as she did the same, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Wait a second." They pulled away as Ariel gave Terry a confused look. "Who's older?" She laughed.

"Does it seriously matter?"

"Self-esteem, Ariel," he reminded her. Terry tended to use that excuse every time he teased her nowadays.

"I'd say I'm older, actually, since I was the first one to be 'created,'" Ariel said thoughtfully.

"That just crushed my self-esteem," he said dramatically, placing a hand to his chest and falling onto the bed while pretending to faint.

"Hey, off my bed!" He snapped open his blue eyes and stuck out his tongue at her, sitting up once more. "So now I suppose I must be the overprotective big sister," she mock-sighed finally.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"N-Bruce, stop listening at the door and get back in here!" Terry called.

"You're getting sharper," Bruce noted, opening the door and smirking at the two.

"And after fifteen years, this is all the progress he's made," Ariel laughed and Terry tugged on her ponytail. "Hey!" She pulled her hair out of reach.

"Two minutes and you're already acting like siblings," Bruce sighed, shaking his head exasperatedly. The two gave him identical grins.

"Wait a second, how are we going to break this to Matt?" Ariel asked finally. "He's already annoyed with having a twippy older brother-" At this, she dodged the punch Terry threw at her. "-so how are we going to tell him he has a sister?"

"Simple, by telling him that you're twippy, too." She flicked Terry's nose and he went cross-eyed for a moment before scowling at her. Bruce merely rolled his eyes at the siblings' antics.

* * *

Later that night, Ariel approached the room across the hall from hers.

She knocked lightly on the door, receiving a short invitation to come in. Bruce raised an eyebrow when he saw who it was.

"Nightmare?"

He had found out about the flashbacks not too long after the Joker incident. Ariel had done something to irritate Ace and so the dog had refused to stay with her that night. When Bruce had come in to wake her up from the nightmare that had occurred soon after, she had confessed.

"Not tonight," she smiled.

The nightmares had eventually faded over the years as she learned to control her mind even as she slept. Now and again, though, the dream appeared in short snippets that still had her going to Bruce's room at night. It was a common occurence for the old man to wake up sometime in the middle of the night to find Ariel curled up beside him. Not that he minded, though.

"Then why?" She shrugged, sitting down beside him.

"Just wanted to." He smiled slightly at that, moving over so that she could lie down next to him. "Dad?"

"Hmm?" He was half-asleep already, but was still conscious enough to stroke his daughter's dark hair gently.

"You know I love you, right? More than anything in the world?" She didn't know what made her say those words, but she felt compelled to.

"Yes..." Even he was confused. "Ariel, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered honestly, resting her head on his chest and repeating softly, "I love you." She could hear his heartbeat and relaxed, closing her eyes.

"...I love you, too." She smiled contentedly, drifting to sleep in her father's arms.

* * *

**So that's it. Finite. Kaboom...okay, I dunno why I just said that. Ah well. R&R! I hope you enjoyed the randomness and fluffiness!**


End file.
